Bee My Honey: Fallen's Revenge
by Smandaangel
Summary: Sam is looking forward to a normal life at college whilst Mikaela and Bumblebee are looking forward to time together to build upon their relationship. However a dire warning throws everyone's futures into turmoil proving that 'Fate rarely calls upon us at a moment of our choosing'. Follow on from 'Bee My Honey'. Bumblebee x Mikaela. Rated T for language. Read & review please.
1. Chapter 1

**AUTHORS NOTE:**

**First up a _massive_ thank you to all of you who've made me believe that I can actually do this and according to you guys, do it well! Writing 'Bee My Honey' was a blast so here we go with the next installment of Bumblebee and Mikaela's story, hope you're all ready for the ride :) Enjoy!  
**

**DISCLAIMER:**

**The credit for all the characters still goes to Hasbro and the Bayverse... only thing that's mine is all the new ideas... And still not got my own Bee as yet *more sighs*.**

CHAPTER 1 - Away & Home.

Through the dark and winding alleyways of a downtown area of Shanghai that had closed down production for the day, two small Chevrolet's were making their way through the dimly lit areas, which would have surely roused suspicion had there been anybody around to see them. The area was deserted which meant that there was no one around to hear the loud voice that echoed from the front vehicle of the two, "Any bad aft 'Con out there better be ready for some serious aft whupping". Skids chuckled as he heard the confidence in his twins voice, and added his own comments on the subject, "Hell yeah, we're so gonna whup some metal aft". However their confident chatter was interrupted by Ironhide's gruff tones as they resonated over the twins comm-links, "The pair of you need to find them first, so quit with the jabbering and concentrate at the task in hand, which is locating the Decepticons that are in the area somewhere, then those of us that know what we are doing can administer this so-called aft-whupping". Skids revved his small but deceptively powerful engine in annoyance as Ironhide shut down the comm-link, as did his twin, "Jeez, the big dude gets grumpier by da minute bro". Mudflap bounced on his chassis, the automotive equivalent of nodding, "With you there brother, though da big guy has a point, we do kinda need to find the 'Cons first"

"Yeah guess so, bet I can find 'em first though loser". With that Skids and Mudflap raced off, their minds fixed back on the task; however they were so fixed on the task that they failed to notice the cold red eyes watching them from the shadows, which narrowed evilly as the Autobots vanished from their sight.

In the night air above another of the complexes, several helicopters pounded through the air. One of the helicopters contained Will Lennox, who was preparing to brief his team about the nights mission. Robert Epps sat by the choppers doors, his dark eyes fixed on the ground as was the gun in his hands, watching more of the troops belonging to NEST get into their positions. He also heard the roar of powerful engines causing a momentary flicker of alarm before a smile crossed his face as he recognised Sideswipe and Sunstreaker racing through the corridors of metal containers, the searchlights of the helicopters reflecting off their gleaming paint as they joined in the search.

Will heard the chuckle in Epps' voice as he muttered "Damn showoffs" under his breath, and Will felt a small smile cross his face as he watched the Autobots on the ground below him. However he soon felt the smile slip as he looked back at the expressions on the faces gazing back at him, they ranged from weary experience to nervous excitement. He looked first to those soldiers that had been with him since that fateful day in the Qatari desert, sharing a wry smile with them before he glanced at the newer members of the team, "Okay men. This time the cover story is a toxic chemical spill. Airspace has been locked down, and the surrounding areas have been evacuated for search and rescue purposes so we are clear to go. That makes a total of six possible sightings in the last few months, and only the second confirmed sighting, so let's try and keep this out of the public eye so keep it tight. Some of you here know what these things are capable of, so be careful, and for those of you that are new to the world of Decepticons, just imagine Ironhide on a really, really bad day and then some".

A short while later, the afore-mentioned Topkick rolled to a halt by the warehouses along with Ratchet and Jazz and several smaller military vehicles. Will and Epps climbed out of Ironhide's cab and walked round to the other side, a frown crossing Will's features as he looked at the scanner he held in his hand. Lightly tapping the bumper, Will knew they needed back up and quickly, "Alright Ironhide, we got echoes, and lots of them".

Ironhide quickly transformed into his bi-pedal mode, firing up both his cannons as he did so, and when he looked round he saw that Ratchet and Jazz were alao armed and ready, their optics refecting the same sense of concern that Ironhide felt as he inhaled the cold night air. He looked down at Will with optics that glowed seriously, "He is here. I smell him". Will looked up at the black 'bot in front of him, and nodded as he saw the concern in the optics of the Autobot he'd come to consider as family, "Okay 'Hide, we'll take your lead on this one. Soldiers, let's go kick us some Decepticon ass".

Ironhide gazed down at Will, his optics softening slightly as he watched him directing the team of soldiers towards the deserted buildings, "Will, we will patrol the perimeters, we can cover more ground and it will also allow us to catch up with the others that are already searching. However if you need help, just call. We are here as are the all the twins, and I know the femmes are ready if needed". Will met Ironhide's optics once again and they both saw the concern for each other shining clearly. Will patted Ironhide's leg, and nodded in reply, "Sure thing 'Hide. Good hunting". Ironhide watched as Will jogged over to the rest of his comrades, unable to pinpoint just why he felt so uneasy.

"Ironhide the humans will be fine, you along with the rest of us, have trained them well". Ironhide turned to look at Ratchet, "I know Ratch, but something ain't right, and its making my spark feel decidedly uneasy. I don't like it at all".

"With you there 'Hide. Somethings not right and its down to more than just usual 'Con activity". Ironhide looked back at Jazz, and nodded agreement, "Exactly. Though we do not have time to stand around and discuss it, we need to find out what the others have discovered if anything. Then hopefully we can blast us some 'Cons, that'll settle my spark nicely". As Ironhide walked into the darkness, Jazz glanced at Ratchet with amused optics, "Love how his answer to everything is shoot first, talk later". Ratchet smiled at Jazz, his own optics sharing the silver Autobots amusement, "He wouldn't be Ironhide if he didn't try to solve everything by shooting at it, though i am more than glad that Bumblebee is not here, Ironhide seems concerned enough as it is. He does not do well when his youngling is threatened". Jazz gazed up at Ratchet, his optics softening as he looked at Ironhide in the distance, "That's understandable, he has seen Bumblebee go through more than enough already. At least Bee is safe back with Sam and Mikaela, which in turn keeps 'Hide happy which means we all get to stay happy too". Ratchet chuckled at the smaller bots words, but said no more as they joined Ironhide in patrolling the borders of the warehouses, their senses concentrated on trying to find the Decepticons they knew were somewhere in the complex.

**oOoOo**

However back in Tranquility, Bumblebee felt anything but safe when he saw the furious look in both Mikaela and Judy's eyes as they stared at the mud that was coating his exterior, and which was also splattered over Sam. He chirped at Sam worriedly, who somehow managed to shuffle even closer to the mud covered Camaro, before whispering to Bee, "Okay so maybe reenacting our favourite stunts from last nights Monster Jam wasn't the best idea we've ever had". Bee chirped in agreement, _"Reading you loud and clear"_, and despite the worry in Bee's voice, Sam could also hear the quiet laughter coming from the Camaro's radio, and he knew that Bee had enjoyed every moment.

"What on Earth have the pair of you been doing? You are both absolutely filthy". Sam looked back at his mother with pleading eyes, "We were just having some guy time before I head off to college, cos you know it's not long til I go now". Judy fought back a smile not only at Sam's pleading tones, but also at the way she saw Bumblebee sink lower to the ground in his own attempt at pleading. As she heard the plaintive chirp that came from the very sorry looking Camaro, Judy turned away so that the two of them were unable to see her smiles. However Mikaela was not quite as ready to give into the pleading looks as Judy was, as she continued to glare at the pair of them, "That's not a problem but did you have to involve all the mud?". At this point Mikaela glanced at Bee, before glaring pointedly at Sam, "Especially as Bee rivals Mojo for hating having a bath", and as she glanced back at Bee, she couldn't help but notice the way he had suddenly stilled.

Bumblebee didn't have an aversion to water as such, it was just a substance he'd never had to worry about on Cybertron, but since he'd landed here on Earth he'd come to realise that he really didn't like it all that much, especially rain as the coldness of it always reminded him of the cooling sprays that had been used on him when he'd been captured by Sector Seven, and when Sam had last tried to get him to go through a car wash, "Well the least said about that the better", thought Bee to himself with a frown. However he was jolted out of his thoughts by the feel of Mikaela's hand resting on his roof, and he chirped at her softly, _"Sorry beautiful, me and Sam just wanted to spend some time together"_. Mikaela smiled at the Camaro, and at Sam who was being dragged towards the house by a still grumbling Judy, before she rested against a slightly cleaner area of Bee's bodywork, "As I said I'm fine with that, as I know you're going to miss him when he's gone, I know I am, but was the mud racing seriously the best idea? Especially as it looks like I've been stuck with the clean up". Bee chirped softly and nudged Mikaela gently, _"I promise to behave"_. Mikaela raised an eyebrow, but chuckled to herself as she went to get the stuff she needed to clean her bot up.

"What happened to I'll behave?. Do you know how odd this looks that I'm having to chase you just to give you a wash? If you would just hold still this would go much quicker". Bee couldn't help the irritated chirp that escaped from his vocaliser, and Mikaela made an equally irritated sound as she pushed back the wet tendrils of hair from her face as somehow she was nearly as wet as the car she was trying to clean, "I'm sorry Bee, I know you don't like it, but that amount of mud is gonna do your paint no good if its left, and although you looked good when you had the retro look, I far prefer your paintwork the way it is now, so quit whinging and hold still while I rinse the soap off". Bumblebee stilled, which should have indicated that he was up to something, however Mikaela was focused on the job in hand and was unaware that Bee had activated his holoform until the hose was pulled from her grip. Mikaela sighed and turned to glare at the grinning holoform in front of her, "That's cheating Bee and you know it, now give me the hose". Bee's blue eyes sparkled mischievously as he held the hose, "I don't think so, why would I give it back when you know I don't like it".

"Because at the moment your alt-mode is still covered in soap bubbles and I'm thinking you're gonna look pretty dumb if you transform and end up with bubble hair". Bee looked at Mikaela as she began to chuckle at the image in her head, and he found himself smiling along as he looked into her laughing blue eyes, before an idea popped into his head that Sunny and Sides would have been proud of. Keeping the hose behind him, Bee moved round so he was in front of a still smiling Mikaela, bending down to kiss her lightly on the lips, before he nailed her with a spray of cold water.

Bee was unable to contain his laughter as heard her outraged squeal, and his laughter only intensified as he realised she now looked as wet as he felt. However as he saw her shiver with cold, Bee swallowed back his laughter and dropped the hose to give Mikaela a hug to ease her shivers. However as he dropped the hose, Mikaela grabbed it with reflexes that the Autobots would have been proud of, and returned the favour; soaking Bee who spluttered as the cold water hit him, his hologram flickering out at the same time, causing Mikaela's laughter to stop abruptly as she belatedly wondered if maybe the water wasn't such a good idea, "Bee are you okay?. Look I'm sorry, I just thought it'd be funny". Mikaela realised she sounded very close to pleading but she couldn't help it, especially as the Camaro in front of her remained completely unresponsive to her anxious tones. Mikaela moved closer to Bee and gently stroked his hood, "Bee please?".

However seconds later the sound of laughter pealed out of Bumblebees radio as he shook himself of all the residual bubbles and water, covering Mikaela in the process, who was fighting back her own laughter despite the dirty water that now dripped from her, "Okay so now you're taking tips from Mojo?". Bee activated his holoform once again, as it hadn't been at all affected by the water other than he still didn't like the water, and he crossed over to Mikaela. As he looked down at her, Mikaela smiled as she noticed the droplets of water still clinging to his blonde hair, "Though I have to admit it was a very, very good plan". Bee chuckled softly as he rested his cheek on the top of her head, "You don't spend time with Sunny and Sides and not learn a few tricks on how to fake things, definitely a skill you needed when you'd helped to prank 'Hide". Mikaela heard the amusement in Bee's voice and when she pulled back, she saw his eyes dancing happily and she shook her head softly, "Pretty sure that weren't one of your better ideas either. Bet 'Hide always found out though, didn't he?". Bee nodded ruefully, "Yup, and if he didn't, you can bet your spark that Chromia would".

"Serves you right. Glad you didn't get away with it all the time, even if you got away with it this time".

"You still love me though". Mikaela looked back at Bumblebee, and smiled up at him, resting a hand on his cheek, "That's never going to be in doubt trust me. There has to be some reason I've spent all afternoon arguing with a car that doesn't want a bath so all the neighbours now probably think I'm crazy". Bee felt his spark flare as he saw the love in Mikaela's eyes, a soft smile on his face as he covered his hand with his own, before he began to chuckle softly. Mikaela looked at him questioningly, and Bee towards the house, "Somehow I'm sure with living next door to Judy, the neighbours are well used to crazy". Mikaela looked at Bee with raised eyebrows before chuckling ruefully, Have to say you have a point there big guy. Anyway we're all done here so shall we head in and see if Judy has finished tormenting Sam". With that, they headed into the house leaving the now gleaming Camaro on the driveway, looking for all the world like any other car in the neighborhood.

**oOoOo**

"Hey ladies, if you're anywhere nearby the second target has been sighted and is heading in your direction. Same orders to Skids and Mudflap if you're listening. We kinda need all the help we can get right now". As he heard Elita's reassuring tones, along with Chromia and Arcee's enthusiasm, Will breathed a small sigh of relief though he wasn't completely convinced by the confidence in the voices of the Chevy twins, and as he glanced up at Ironhide, Will saw that he too was less than convinced in the twins abilities. However the time for reflection was short as Will quickly realised that even with all the firepower that both the NEST forces and the Autobots were firing towards the Decepticon that had been identified as Demolisher, they were losing badly. Ratchet was out of the battle as he was tending to those soldiers that had been wounded, his holoform running in and out of the fighting at regular intervals. Jazz and Ironhide were doing their best alongside the humans and the others were in pursuit of Sideways, leaving their forces stretched thin against a Decepticon that seemed intent on causing as much destruction as it could. As Demolisher took out another of the helicopters as he rolled relentlessly towards the edges of the warehousing complex, Will shared a concerned glance with Ironhide, his heart sinking as he saw the worry in the large 'bots optics, "'Hide we're getting screwed here, what else can we do?. If that thing gets out we are in a whole world of trouble". Ironhide briefly raised his eyes to the sky before looking back down at Will, "I suggest we call for reinforcements".

Meanwhile in another area of the complex, Sideways had managed to shake the two smaller Autobots that had been following him by crashing through a deserted warehouse, however he had been unable to shake the very determined trio of sisters, whose alt-modes of motorcycles gave them the edge on maneuverability over the larger form of Sideways' Audi alt-mode. Snarling to himself, he sped up as he raced along the harbor wall, determined to lose the femmes. However in his determination he had missed the two concealed Corvettes that were lying in wait for him. "Oh look he's running away, how cute". Sunstreaker grinned at Sideswipe, "Best we go catch up with him then". Sideswipe sent a quick message over his comm-link to Arcee, informing her that he and Sunny were on the 'Cons tail, who replied gratefully that they were welcome to him. As the twins caught up to the fleeing Decepticon, Sideways did his best to dodge the fire the twins were aiming at him, but whichever way he went they remained with him, and whilst he was dodging fire from Sideswipe, Sunstreaker loosed a series of small but deadly blades than sunk deep into Sideways' bodywork. The Decepticon felt the damage the blades were doing to his circuitry, and was unable to dodge the grinning form of Sideswipe as the Autobot plunged his blade into the hood, before slicing the still moving 'Con in half. As Sideways was instantly off-lined in a hail of glowing bolts and a shower of sparks, the twins rolled to a stop and grinned at each other, sharing a triumphant high-five as they did so, "Damn we're good". However as they heard the sounds of the continuing battle with Demolisher, they shared a concerned glance before quickly transforming down to their alt-modes, before racing off to see if they could be of any use.

"Ground to air support, we need the big boy delivered and dropped, and we need it now". Will heard the undertones of fear in the urgency of Epps's shouted message over the airwaves, and he watched the massive Decepticon wreak havoc on the highways of Shanghai, Will felt exactly the same. They had long since given up trying to keep the Decepticon from leaving the warehousing complex and were now trying to limit the destruction he caused. However as he watched the massed forces of the Autobots doing their best to protect as many of the humans as they could, generally by making themselves the target for Demolisher's firepower, Will couldn't help the sense of pride he felt in his non-human troops. Looking up as he heard the low hum of the C-17's powerful engines, Will felt a rush of hope as he watched the transporter unload its precious cargo, and he was more than certain that the Autobots all felt the same too, given that they seemed to harry the Decepticon just a little more forcefully than they had been.

Optimus quickly assumed his alt-mode as he hit the ground and sped up to catch up with the rest of the Autobots and Demolisher, listening to Ironhide's report of the situation so far over his comm-link. Optimus felt a disturbance in his spark as he listened to 'Hides worried tones but dismissed it as he reached the battle scene, needing every ounce of his concentration to take down the giant. Leaping at Demolisher, the 'Con plowed through one of the cities overpasses in an attempt to lose the determined Autobot leader. However even through all the debris, Optimus had managed to land on the laughing Decepticon, and he growled in a low voice. "Time to pull over". Demolisher growled a response of his own but he was unable to stand up to the onslaught of Optimus, and from Ironhide who had managed to keep following closely behind and slowly he began to lose speed.

Finally collapsing, Demolisher tumbled from the overpass, causing the ground to shake as he landed hard on the concrete below, twisting several of his joints beyond recognition. Aware of the NEST troops carefully approaching, Optimus and Ironhide made their way through the dust to the fallen Decepticon, ready to finish this once and for all. Ironhide scowled at the twisted metal and the still defiant red optics, "Punkass Decepticon". Optimus also looked down at Demolisher, his voice cold as he asked "Any last words".

"This is not your planet to rule, The Fallen shall rise again". At the Decepticon's faltering but still clear words, Optimus felt the same disturbance in his spark as he had earlier and before he could ask any more questions, the red glow of Demolisher's optics faded as he off-lined. Ironhide looked at Optimus with troubled optics, "What does it mean, the fallen shall rise again". Optimus shook his head wearily as he heard Epps commenting "That didn't sound good", to no-one in particular; before he turned to look at Ironhide, "I am unsure old friend, but it may mean more than we realise. Until then we will keep a closer guard on the All-Spark, and hope that it is nothing more than the ramblings of a Decepticon who wishes to cause trouble". Ironhide looked back at Optimus and saw the uncertainty in his leaders optics but chose to keep it to himself, as he looked around the trashed city, "Oh yeah, he wanted to cause trouble alright".

**oOoOo**

**A/N: Well here we go again, part two! Sorry its took me some time to get this up but took me a bit of time to find my muse, she was having a short break! Not a horrendously original title I'll grant you but wanted to keep it similar to the film's title. Anyway the start of the film is a complete nightmare to write if you follow it religiously so I've messed around with it so it makes more sense to me, and hopefully to you guys too. It's also covered most of my gripes about this whole scene... like where do all the "Bots disappear off to all of a sudden, why does Demolisher have orange eyes, and most importantly why would Optimus off-line the one Decepticon who could give him the answers to his little 'last words' teaser?! Rah! This is the problem with this installment of the three films is that it has so many plotholes it frustrates the hell out of me. Rant over! Plus I have already given the Chevy twins their Chevy alt-modes as I hate the ice-cream van idea with a passion, also I am gonna be far kinder to them than the Bayverse was.**** Hope you like the shameless fluff I popped in the middle there as needed to fill the chapter out somehow and whats better than a bit of fluff :) Anyway hope you all like, reviews are welcome as always xx**


	2. Chapter 2: Sparks

Chapter 2: Sparks

Despite the lack of city destroying, prophecy revealing Decepticons; Bumblebee was quite certain that Optimus and the other Autobots would have classed the Witwicky house in its present state just as chaotic as it had been in Shanghai had they been there watching it.

"Come on, let's go. All hands on deck. Frankie, Mojo, out. We're on a schedule here". From the relative silence of the garage where he was resting in his alt-mode, or hiding as Sam had remarked earlier, Bumblebee listened to Ron's raised voice and chuckled to himself as he heard Sam's indignant tone of voice as he heard him ask Ron if 'he was trying to get rid of him'. As Bee heard Ron reply "I have plans for your room and they rhyme with home cinema", Bee couldn't help the peal of laughter that escaped his radio, which only increased as he heard Sam call out, "You can stop laughing in there too, he'll be after your garage next". Bee chirped confidently, and the laughter escaped once more as he heard Ron's reply of "Hell no, Bee's room is safe, we're not brave enough to argue that toss with Mikaela". As he heard Sam mutter something under his breath that sounded distinctly like 'favouritism', Bumblebee couldn't help the small sigh that passed through his vents.

Although Sam had reassured him that it would still be fine for Bee to stay there once he'd left for college as Mikaela would still be living there, Bumblebee hadn't been able to shake the doubt that had lodged in his spark. However Judy had squashed that doubt well and truly when they had all been having a family night out to make the most of the time Sam had left at home. On the return journey home Bee was quietly chatting to Mikaela through the radio about his worries, thinking that everyone one else was asleep. However Judy had only been napping, and had surprised Bee by lightly tapping on his seats, "Just to let you know Bee, having one of my boys staying home makes it slightly easier to bear that Sammy is leaving, so stop worrying. I told you from the start, you're family, regardless of whether Sam is here or not". Bee had chirped softly at Judy, and she knew that at least one other person understood just how much she was going to miss Sam, and she'd patted his upholstery softly, "I know Bee, I'm gonna miss him too". Mikaela had listened to the conversation with a smile, knowing that however much she and Sam had told Bee the same thing, he would only believe it now Judy had told him too.

Although as it had turned out, Mikaela and Bumblebee were the ones being left behind as Ron had surprised Judy with a trip to Europe as he knew she needed something to take her mind off Sam's departure, and Bee couldn't help the chuckle as he recalled the smile on Ron's face as he'd looked over at where Bee had been sitting with Mikaela at the time with raised eyebrows, before whispering loudly, "It'll also give you two some alone time". Bumblebee knew that both he and Mikaela were going to miss the rest of the Witwicky family immensely, and Mikaela was going to miss Sam far more that Sam would realised, but both of them were looking forward to having some time to themselves. As he sank down onto his axles with a contented sigh, Bee continued to listen to the chaos inside the house with a smile, wishing Mikaela was here to listen to it too; although he was quite sure everything would be just as chaotic when she was due to arrive home from work later.

**oOoOo**

Meanwhile Sam was wishing desperately that he could go and hide with Bumblebee in the garage, as Sam didn't buy Bee's line of "I need to rest as I've been using my holoform a lot more than usual" for one minute. Sam knew just how often the Autobot used it when he was out with Mikaela and it never seemed to drain his energy levels then, and Sam snorted back a laugh as he thought to himself that their date nights were probably far more 'draining' than a family night out, although his mother had insisted on several recently. As he watched his mother weeping into his "baby booties" that she'd somehow found whilst packing for their own trip, Sam couldn't help the smile as he realised how much he was going to miss everyone, excited as he was about finally being away from home. However as he was unable to escape, Sam had no choice but to grin and bear it as Judy pulled him into one of her famous rib-crushing hugs. As he listened to her teary speech, Sam couldn't help grinning as he looked over at his father who was still packing items with a determined air, "See Dad, this is how you're supposed to react when the fruit of your loins goes out into the cruel world to fend for himself okay". Ron looked over at Sam, and continued to pack as he replied, "My heart bleeds for you pal". Sam heard the teasing tone in his father's voice and smiled back at Ron before returning his attention to his mother who was still tearfully listing dates when she wanted Sam to come home, which was pretty much the whole term by the sounds of it, and he pulled out of the hug with a smile on his face as he gazed into Judy's tear filled eyes, "Mom you know I can't come home for Halloween". Sam then hastily added, "And you can't come to me either", as he saw the glint in his mothers eyes. His parents turning up at his dorm in Halloween costumes was something he definitely didn't need, and he knew the though would have occurred to Judy. Before Judy could launch into another speech, Ron finally took pity on Sam, plus he really wanted the last of the packing to get done, "Judy enough. Let the poor kid breathe, it's just college. He'll be fine, he's survived worse as we know.

"Anyway you need to go pack, there is no way you have enough stuff for a months trip; now march young lady". Judy wiped away her tears with an affectionate smile back at her husband as she began walking up the stairs, "I love it when you call me young lady, you dirty old man". Wrinkling his nose in disgust, Sam covered his ears and began to hum loudly, "Oh Jeez Dad, enough already. Save it for when I'm not here, or when you're away. I really don't need to know". Ron chuckled, "So how'd you think you got here in the first place, by stork?. Just because you're the only one in the house not getting any on a regular basis". Laughing at his son's horrified expression, Ron couldn't help the pang in his heart as he realised just how grown up his boy was, and although he wasn't being quite as emotional about it as Judy, Ron knew he was going to miss 'his Sammy' too. Clearing his throat as he gazed at Sam, Ron began to speak, "Look you know me and your mother, we're really proud of you. Not just because you're the first Witwicky to go to college, but because of everything and we're proud of the person you're growing up to be". Sam looked at his father and they shared a brief hug as his fathers words had meant the world to Sam. However as they heard another wail from upstairs, the moment was broken and Ron looked at his son with a resigned expression, "You knew it was always going to be hard for her to accept her boys all grown up and heading out into the world on his own. It helps that Mikaela and Bee will still be here when we get back, but they're not you, and with you not here we're not a whole family". Ron's voice cracked slightly on the word 'family', and Sam looked at Ron with a soft smile, "You okay there Dad?". Ron nodded and was about to reply when the moment was ruined by Mojo and Frankie's growls. Ron sighed in exasperation, "Mojo. No dominating Frankie, and off the couch both of you". Both dogs hopped off the sofa, though Ron could have sworn Mojo looked pleased with himself as he did so. Shaking his head, Ron then looked at Sam with a smile, before he began walking back outside; "You know you'll see a lot of that at college too". Sam looked at his dad in confusion, from behind the boxes he was carrying, "What Chihuahuas with issues?. I hope not, though I told Mom we'd have problems when she gave him the flashy collars". Ron laughed as he took the boxes from Sam and placed them in the trunk of their own car, "Not the Chihuahuas, the domination issue. You need to stay strong remember". Sam smiled back at his dad, as he jogged back toward the house, "Its okay, me and Carly will be fine. We'll miss each other sure but it'll make it all the better when we get to meet up over the holidays, plus there is such a thing as webcams". Ron watched as Sam jogged into the house and once again the wave of sadness swept over him as he realised just how much his boy has grown up in the past two years, but as he continued to pack the trunk of the car, Ron smiled as he heard the comforting chirp from the garage, and he hummed along with the cheerful music that Bee was playing.

"Hey 'Kaela, how's it going?". Sam listened to Mikaela's frustrated voice as he jogged up the stairs to his bedroom to pack the last of his things, laughing as he heard her muttering about being stuck at work, mainly because she was still having to 'babysit' her dad, "It's okay 'Kaela, if you don't want to say goodbye, I'm sure I'll cope. At least one of my best friends will be here". As he listened to her indignant shouting, Sam placed the phone on the side as he folded the last few bits of clothing that were hanging in his wardrobe, leaving it on loudspeaker as he did so. However as he got to the back of the wardrobe, he found his torn and tattered shirt from Mission City. As he held it in his hands, Sam was unable to fight the wave of terror that flooded his mind, as he recalled Megatron's glowing red optics along with his clawed hand reaching out. Shuddering, Sam dropped it to the floor and frowned as he heard a metallic clunk. Unaware of Mikaela's worried calls, Sam bent down and picked up just what it was that had hit the floor, "Mikaela, I have to go. I think a bit of the All-Spark got stuck to my shirt". As the sunlight caught the fragment of metal in his fingers, Sam completely forgot about ending the call and he was shaken by a rush of memories of the moment he'd plunged the All-Spark into Megatron's chest, and was also semi-aware of a flood of glowing symbols like those that adorned the cube flowing into his mind. However the spell was broken as he dropped the now glowing shard to the floor, blowing at his tingling fingers caused by the sudden warmth. As the shard hit the floor, it burned through the floorboards and down through the insulation, causing a stream of smoke to billow up from the floor, causing Sam to panic slightly as he rushed to grab the fire extinguisher. Once he was sure the fire was out, Sam began to walk down the stairs, a thoughtful expression on his face. However as he neared the kitchen, he heard his mothers panicked scream and he broke into a run, stopping abruptly as he saw what had once been the blender attacking Judy, and what had once been the microwave keeping Ron from entering the kitchen. However as he stopped at the door, he was suddenly aware of several small red eyes fixing their attention on him, and chattering loudly as they advanced towards him. Feeling the same rush of panic as he had earlier, Sam did the only thing he could think of to keep everyone safe.

"BUMBLEBEE!".

**oOoOo**

Bumblebee's spark had flared when the pulse of energy from the All-Spark had activated, and he had still been puzzling over it when he had first heard Judy's scream. Bee had activated his holoform and was already on his way into the house when he'd heard Sam call his name, his voice full of fear. Sprinting into the house Bee knew that his bi-pedal form would have given him more of an advantage over whatever it was that was attacking his family, but it wasn't really going to do the Witwicky home a lot of good, 'I'm not built for small spaces', he thought to himself as he burst into the kitchen.

Bee saw the transformed kitchen appliances and he winced slightly as they trained their fire towards the intruder. However as the newly formed beings sensed Bee's far stronger spark, they ceased attacking both Sam and Bumblebee. Bee spoke to them rapidly in Cybertronian, and the Witwicky family watched in amazement as their kitchen appliances rapidly chattered back at Bee, before they quickly transformed back into their normal shapes. Bee looked at Sam, his blue eyes glowing with concern, "Are you okay?". Sam nodded shakily, "Yeah I think so, they didn't hurt you did they?".

"No. I'm fine Sam. Judy, Ron. Are you both okay?". Judy looked over at Bumblebee, and he had to fight the smile as he saw the way she glared at her kitchen appliances through narrowed eyes, "Yes thank you Bee, and thank you for the help". Ron too nodded at Bee, as he was finally able to cross over to Judy's side, "Yeah thanks for the help there, big guy. Though one quick question, why the hell did the kitchen suddenly go psycho crazy on us, and will it decide to do it again?". Bee saw the suspicious look Ron gave the microwave, and he shook his head, "No the burst of energy that caused the activation will only last a short while, so they will not reactivate, I made that quite clear to them when i spoke to them". Sam looked at Bee in relief, "Glad about that one Bee, and Dad I think I know what it was that caused them to go crazy". Sam knelt down and picked up the now innocent looking shard of metal with the kitchen tongs, and showed it to his confused looking parents and to Bee, "It must have been this that did it".

"Sam is that what I think it is?". Bee held out his hand and Sam quickly dropped it into his palm, and nodded as he looked at Bee, "I think it's a shard of the All-Spark, it must have got stuck to my shirt somehow during the battle. I haven't been near that shirt since we got back and I only moved it now as I was tidying my room out". Bee closed his palm round the shard and shuddered slightly as he felt the faint pull of power on his spark, before looking back at Sam and his parents, "Yes it is indeed a piece of the All-Spark. I knew it was here as soon as you found it". Judy looked at Bee, the concern clear in her eyes, "Why didn't you notice it before then, and is it going to cause any danger to my family". Bee looked back at Judy, "It should pose no threat, though I will need to contact Optimus as soon as possible to see what he wants he wants to do with it. It will probably go to join the other shard on the base at Diego Garcia, there it will be safe.

"And as to why I could not sense it before, I'm guessing it is because it is such a small shard of the cube that until it was activated there was no Energon signal from it, and I always have faint Energon readings registering when I am around Sam, as he was the one who used the cubes power to destroy you know who in Mission City". Sam frowned, "Really, did I know that?". Bee shook his head, "I believe Ratchet meant to tell you after the event but he probably forgot, what with trying to repair everyone else". Sam shrugged, "Okay cool, but do you not have the same problem with 'Kaela". Bee blushed, and scuffed his foot on the kitchen floor, "Sort of, she too registers higher readings but it's not because she has handled the cube". Sam frowned, but he soon got what Bee meant when he heard the sniggers from his parents, "Oh too much information Bee. Jeez this whole house is obsessed. I'm gonna go finish packing". However as he turned to leave the kitchen he heard the back door slam, and Mikaela came rushing in, her eyes wide with panic, "God are you guys okay? Last thing I heard on the phone was Sam panicking because of a fire and saying something about the All-Spark, then I get home and find the street is blocked by police cars and one of the neighbours saying something about gunshots". Everyone looked out of the kitchen window and sure enough, the street and the house was surrounded by police cars and uninformed officers. As he heard his mothers groans of "What is it with officials and my flowers", Sam shook his head as he looked back at his family, "See this is why I need college, time for a normal life". Bee quickly hugged Mikaela, who returned his embrace needing the comfort of his strong arms as she had been truly worried for all her family, before he looked back at the humans around him, "I'll go get in contact with the gods, we'll cover it up somehow". As his holoform fizzled out, Mikaela rubbed her arms at the lingering static in the air and turned to look at Sam, "Right, so what did I miss".

**oOoOo**

A few hours later, the police presence had been cleared and an effective cover up story had been circulated, allowing Sam and his parents to finally leave, though not before they'd had to return for passports, which in turn had allowed a calm to settle over the Witwicky house and its remaining occupants. Mikaela was curled up on Bumblebee's shoulder as they sat in the garage, quietly watching the tv that had been set up in there. Bee chirped, and Mikaela softly stroked his face plates, "I'm fine big guy, though if you ever tell Sam I cried like a baby when they'd gone, I will hurt you". Bee gently stroked a finger down her back, _"I wont say a word beautiful... It's only natural you're going to miss him, he's been your best friend forever"_. Mikaela fought back a sniff, "Yeah stop there Bee or I'll start again, this is why I don't cry very often. It's not pretty and once I start, I find it really hard to stop". Bee smiled and gently lifted Mikaela down so she was sitting in his palm facing him, _"You always look beautiful to me... tears or not... it shows you care about people, and that's one of the reasons I love you"_. Mikaela looked up into Bee's optics and smiled softly, "Thanks big guy, I love you too". Bee moved his hand so Mikaela was resting against his chest, and he heard her soft sigh of contentment as she traced gentle fingers over his paintwork. As they rested quietly, Bee thought back to the events of earlier in the day, and the conversation he'd had with Optimus afterwards. The Autobot leader had been concerned about the sudden reappearance of a piece of the All-Spark so soon after the events in Shanghai, and had ordered Bumblebee and Mikaela to keep the shard as safe as they could until it could be arranged for them to fly out to the base in Diego Garcia, but he had reassured Bumblebee that the chance of any harm coming to Sam because of this newest development were very slim, though as he had reminded the young Autobot, Sam would always be in danger because of his ties to the Autobots. It was these words that kept repeating in Bee's processors as he looked down at the sleeping Mikaela, he knew that because of their bond she too would always be at risk if the Decepticons were ever to return. However as he felt her stirring against his chest, he felt the protective flare of his spark and he knew it was going to have to be a very, very determined Decepticon that would part him from his girl.

**oOoOo**

**A/N: Hello people I'm still alive! I have had writers block like you would not believe with this chapter and I'm still not really happy with it but I daren't mess with it any more as don't want to scare my muse off again now she has finally come back. I think the main problem is I just hate this whole scene in the movie and couldn't get it flow properly by following it, so had to make some serious changes as you can see! First up I just don't get whats the deal with the kitchen appliances, they wouldn't instantly know to attack Sam and surely his parents would have heard what was going on?! So hope you like what I've done with the scene instead :) **

**Anyway hopefully my errant muse will stay with me now, though with still crappy work hours and a six-week course learning sign language (which has given me several rabid plot bunnies for our fave yellow bot) I won't promise an update will be any quicker but a massive THANK YOU for your patience xx **


	3. Chapter 3 - Official

Chapter 3 - Officials.

As Optimus rolled out of the belly of the large cargo plane, he was unable to fight the wave of sadness that flooded his spark as he watched the flag-draped coffins being removed from another of the planes that had landed back on the island of Diego Garcia. Rolling to a stop, the Peterbilt sighed softly before he slowly transformed into his bi-pedal form, gratefully stretching out the aches from the long flight as he did so. "There was nothing you could do Optimus". Optimus looked down at Elita, who had rapidly transformed when she'd heard the troubled note in her sparkmates voice, before turning his troubled optics back to where the coffins were being slowly transported across the tarmac of the runway, "I know that but when we first arrived here, I swore to keep the humans safe". Elita looked up at her sparkmate, her blue optics softening as she both saw and felt Optimus's pain, and she rested a gentle palm against his chestplates, "I know my love, but they had also made a promise to keep their fellow humans safe and they knew the dangers just as much as any other soldiers. You are not responsible for their choices, and you managed to keep far more soldiers safe by destroying Demolisher when you did".

"Listen to Elita big guy, she's got a point". Optimus and Elita both turned to look at Will, who had a solemn look on his face as he gazed up at the equally solemn looking Autobot leader, "Thanks to you, and the rest of the Autobots we got out of Shanghai with far fewer casualties than we should have, and although I understand how you feel, Elita's right. These guys made their choices when they signed up and I know each and every one of them would do the same thing tomorrow, even knowing the dangers, so please do not blame yourself". Optimus looked down at the young human leader and smiled gratefully at him, his spark feeling a little lighter than it had, "Thank you Will, I appreciate your words, and I'm sure as you know I will have no choice in listening to my sparkmate". Will's solemn features broke into a smile as he heard the teasing note in the Autobot's voice and he found himself laughing as he saw the way Elita's optics narrowed, "Okay I'm leaving before things turn ugly". Elita smiled down at the human in front of her, "Oh don't worry I won't embarrass our Prime by kicking his aft in public, I'll save it til later".

Will continued to chuckle as he heard Optimus's muttered reply before the two Autobots transformed back to their alt-modes, before walking over to where Epps and another young soldier were standing, watching an approaching helicopter with confused looks. Epps turned to look at Will, who shrugged in reply, "I haven't a clue. Bumblebee and Mikaela aren't due to arrive til this afternoon at the earliest, and they'll be arriving on the supply plane anyway".

"Well whoever it is, they're heading over here in a mighty hurry". Will looked over and with a sinking heart realised that the approaching figure was none other than their new Security Advisor, Theodore Galloway. Will looked at Epps and Graham with a resigned expression, "Why do I get the feeling the shit that hit the fan in Shanghai is about to hit it again". Epps looked back at Will, and clapped a hand on his shoulder, "He's all yours buddy, I'll round-up the rest of the team and we'll meet you in the hangar". Will scowled at Epps, before plastering a very fake smile on his face as he walked across the tarmac to meet Galloway, "Director Galloway, it's a pleasure to see you. I'd love to show you around but some of the areas are classified entry only". Galloway looked at Will, his expression cold as he slapped a piece of paper against the majors chest, "I have clearance, presidential orders. I've got a message for you and your classified space buddies, you guys made a mess of Shanghai". Will looked at the piece of paper in his hand before he stared at the back of the rapidly departing Galloway, before following him reluctantly muttering to himself as he did so, "Oh pardon me if we made a mess. I would love to see how you tackle a rampaging Decepticon and still have time to clean up afterwards".

**oOoOo**

Bumblebee and Mikaela were indeed on their way to Diego Garcia: and in the large cargo area of the supply plane, Bumblebee's familiar Camaro alt-mode was resting quietly as he watched over a sleeping Mikaela. Although she had done her best to fight falling asleep, the combination of their early start and crossing several time zones had eventually caught up with her, and she'd dropped off with her head resting against his window, her hand curled protectively round the seatbelt. As Bee sank down onto his axles with a contented sigh, he tried to ignore the worried fluttering that had been lodged deep in his spark since Sam had found the shard of the All-Spark just a few days ago. Despite Mikaela's constant reassurance that the shard was safe, and more than one late-night comm-link conversation with Optimus and Ironhide, Bumblebee was unable to shake the feeling that the sudden reappearance of this new piece of the All-Spark meant far more than any of them realised; and back in Tranquility before they had left, the Autobot had been almost certain that he and Mikaela had been being watched; as he'd pointed out to Mikaela when she'd questioned him, he wasn't the youngest Autobot scout in vorns for nothing. However despite his best efforts, Bumblebee had been unable to pinpoint just what it was exactly that was making him so uneasy, and he'd only given up his searching when Mikaela had threatened him with a trip to see Ratchet when they arrived in Diego Garcia if he didn't stop jumping at shadows.

However Bee's processor was disturbed from its train of thought when Mikaela stirred, and as Bee heard her soft sleep filled voice murmur, "Hey big guy", he could only chirp quietly in response, as his spark trembled excitedly. Mikaela chuckled softly at Bee's chirp and teasingly ran a fingertip over the leather of the empty drivers seat, "Guess someones pleased to see me". Bee tried to fight the shudder that went through him as Mikaela's fingertip ran over the seat but he failed miserably and the sigh of pleasure that filtered through his speakers just made Mikaela laugh all the more, as did the unconvincing _"Stop it"_. Mikaela looked into the rearview mirror, her blue eyes sparkling with mischief, as she continued to trace over Bee's upholstery with gentle fingers, before asking teasingly, "You're gonna stop me how exactly?". As Bumblebee activated his holoform, and saw the triumphant smile on Mikaela's face, he knew that this had been her plan all along.

Leaning in to kiss her grinning lips, before he pulled Mikaela into his lap, Bee looked down at where she had burrowed into his embrace, before smiling softly, "You are far too sneaky for your own good sometimes beautiful". Mikaela leant back, the smile still on her face, "Maybe just a little, but my plan worked. There was no way I was going to spend this whole journey asleep as that would have given you way too much brooding time, as I know you're still worrying about the shard.

"I know it's your job to keep Sam safe, but he seems to be getting on fine at college as we know from our webcam chats, though how he managed to find someone even crazier than Miles to room with I will never know, and I know you worry about me but I have you here to protect me, so we'll both be fine. No one apart from you guys know about this second shard so once its safe with the other piece, everything will be fine". Bee listened to the quiet conviction in Mikaela's voice, and rested his head on hers so she wouldn't see the doubt that was still in his eyes, "Okay so I worry too much, I get it but if anything happened to Sam, or to you, I don't think my spark could take it". Mikaela heard the pain in Bee's voice, and pulled away so she could rest her palms on his face, forcing him to look at her, "Bumblebee listen to me. You can't protect us from everything, as much as you want to. I know its part of what makes you the Autobot I love, and I know you'll be there to save us from the big stuff, but hopefully there won't be anymore big stuff for us to deal with, so from now on it's just boring everyday problems, like how are we going to keep ourselves occupied for the rest of this damn flight".

Bee smiled softly as he saw the teasing smile on Mikaela's lips, despite the seriousness in her blue eyes, and he too smiled as he replied, "You're getting nearly as good as Ratch with the lectures, and I promise I'll try to stop worrying, and before you say anything, that's the best you're going to get. I'm a natural-born worrier, just ask Ratchet or 'Hide when we reach the base.

"However, I'm pretty sure I can think of some way to keep both of us occupied". As he began to tickle Mikaela relentlessly, her squeals of outrage echoing through the quiet cargo area, Bee's spark felt considerably lighter than it had done earlier but he wasn't going to admit to Mikaela any time soon that the persistent nagging worry was just as strong as it had been and Bumblebee found himself hoping that Optimus would be able to ease some of his worries when they landed at the base.

**oOoOo**

Will followed Galloway into the hangar where the rest of the Autobot's were all resting after their long journey home, and he smiled as he saw Chromia's alt-mode resting against the side of the gleaming Topkick. As he chuckled to himself, Galloway turned and frowned at the younger man behind him, "Something funny Major?". Will pasted a serious look on his face, "No sir, just a tickle in my throat. All the sand in the air.

"Anyway this is the hangar where we communicate with the JCS and it also serves as one of the Autobot's main resting hangers as you can see". Will noticed the customary look of amazement in Galloway's eyes as he looked over at the array of gleaming vehicles, and he had to fight back another smile as he saw Sunstreaker and Sideswipe trying not to bounce on their axles as they also saw the admiring look in Galloway's eyes. As he heard one of his team call out that the secure link to the JCS was up, Will switched into work mode as he walked up the metal staircase to the area where the communication screens were located, and as the image of Admiral Morshower appeared, Will nodded a greeting, "Sir".

"Will. I hear you had a rough time over in Shanghai?". Will nodded as he heard the unheard questions in his Admirals voice, "We did indeed sir, but the casualties were limited. However there was an incident that we feel requires an immediate debrief, now with your permission I'd like you to hear from the leader of the Autobot's, although we can't let you see him". Upon hearing the Admirals command of "Proceed", Will nodded to the resting Peterbilt in front of him, "Okay Optimus you're up". As Optimus began his transformation, Will heard the gasp of amazement from Galloway as he watched the process that everyone else had come to regard as an everyday occurrence, and he smiled as he heard Epps comment of "If God made us in his image, then you've gotta wonder who it was that made him?".

Optimus nodded a greeting to Epps, and to Galloway, before he turned to face the screens and Will, "Thank you Will. Admiral, our alliance has countermanded six Decepticon incursions this year, each on a different continent. They are clearly searching around the world for something, but last nights encounter came with a warning". Optimus stopped speaking and replayed a recording of Demolisher's last words, _"The Fallen... shall.. rise again"_. A collective shudder went through both the humans and the Autobots as the Decepticons cold voice echoed through the hangar, before the silence that followed was broken by the voice of Morshower, "The Fallen... meaning what?". Optimus heard the confusion in the human leaders voice and the tall Autobot leader felt a surge of disappointment within his spark as he realised he was unable to provide the humans with the answers they wanted, and seemed to need as he answered in a low voice, "It hints at something from our past, but we have no way of being certain of that. Much of our history, along with the origins of our race, were lost with the destruction of All-Spark". Will looked back at Optimus and he could see the sadness in the bright blue optics of the Autobot leader, but before he could reply, a voice echoed up from the hanger floor, "Excuse me". Optimus raised a metal eyebrow briefly at Will before he turned to look at the suited human standing next to Epps, inclining his head towards him as Galloway began to speak, "With this so-called All-Spark now destroyed, why hasn't the enemy left like you thought they would". As the human began climbing the metal staircase, Optimus heard Will introducing the man as Director Galloway, and as he heard the unenthusiastic tone the Major used, Optimus realised he was not alone in his instinctual dislike of this new addition to their world.

As he reached the top of the stairs, Galloway was either choosing to ignore the unease in the air, or hadn't picked up on it and Optimus found himself thinking that if it was the latter, then this human was definitely in the wrong job as Galloway continued to push his way to the top of the staircase, and Optimus felt a flicker of unease in his own spark as he noticed the way Galloway paused to glare at the Autobots and the soldiers surrounding him before he began to speak again, "Forgive the interruption General but since the mess that was caused in Shanghai, I for one am hard pressed to say that the job is getting done". Galloway flinched slightly as he saw the stern look on Optimus's metal features, and when he heard the rumbling of the engines from vehicles that were still static, his voice faltered slightly but he carried on regardless, "Now under the classified Alien Autobot Co-operation Act, you agreed to share your intel with us but not your advancements in weaponry". Optimus recognised the unrest among the others and held out a hand to show that he had heard their disapproval, Ironhide and Ratchet making their point quite clear over the comm-link as well, before he replied to Galloway's question in a firm but cold tone of voice, "We have witnessed your human capacity for war". Optimus paused here, almost prodding Galloway with an accusing finger as he continued to speak, "It would absolutely do more harm than good".

"But with all due respect, who are you to decide what is best for us?". Optimus faced Galloway, his optics darkening a deep shade of blue as he did so, "One who has seen the destruction of his home when this information has fallen into the wrong hands, and one who wishes for the same fate not to befall your planet". Will heard and saw the frustration in every word and line of Optimus's metal body, and privately he found himself wishing that Optimus would really lose his temper with Galloway, but he knew this really wouldn't help matters at all. Raising his hands in a peace gesture between man and robot, Will spoke to Galloway in what he hoped was a calming tone of voice, "Sir, we've been fighting side by side in the field for over two years now and we trust these guys with our lives".

"We've shared blood, sweat and precious metal together" Will smiled as he heard Epps' voice ring up from the floor, and his smile widened as he heard the pride that rang through it; like himself and the Witwicky's back in Tranquility, Epps regarded the Autobot's as family and didn't take kindly to any criticism of them. Galloway however was less than impressed with the interruption, and scowled down at Epps who was leaning comfortably against Jazz, "You're paid to shoot, not talk soldier". Epps bristled at the directors condescending tone, and as he felt the ripple of energy from beneath him, he knew Jazz was just as unhappy with it. Looking up at Galloway through narrowed eyes, a reassuring hand resting on Jazz's hood, Epps muttered under his breath, "Don't tempt me dude". Jazz heard the grumble and replied quietly through his radio, a trick he'd learnt from Bumblebee, so only Epps could hear him, "We could always let old trigger happy over there do it. The way "Hides been bouncing on those axles of his, he's more than happy to share some of our weaponry with the suited dude". Epps bit back the laugh he felt bubbling up in his chest as he looked over to where it did indeed seem that Ironhide was bouncing unhappily, "That's some shit I'd pay to see, though gotta say Doc Bot doesn't look much happier with the situation".

"Oh hell no, he's pissed, and Optimus knows it. The pair of them have already made their point quite clear over the comm-link, but there ain't no way I'm getting involved, I think my processors may melt". Unable to fight it this time, Epps let out a loud snort of laughter, causing several pairs of eyes and one pair of optics to focus on him from above. Rubbing the back of his neck embarrassedly, Epps mumbled a sorry before nudging a quietly chuckling Jazz with his hip, "And you can shut up as it's all your fault".

Optimus and Will shared a smile as they watched the interaction between Jazz and Epps, however it just seemed to deepen Galloway's scowl as he turned back to face everyone. As he looked at all of those around him, Galloway's eyes once again narrowed as he first looked at the resting Autobots and then back to Optimus, before speaking once again, "And these newest members of your team, they arrived here after you sent out an open invitation into space for them which was vetted by nobody".

"Just stop right there Mr Galloway, it was vetted by both myself and Defense Secretary Keller after Mission City". Galloway turned to the screen where the image of Morshower was looking less than impressed, "Well that as it may be but when it comes to our national security being threatened, any previous agreement is always able to be adjusted, shall we say?.

"Now what do we know so far?. We know the enemy leader, classified NBE One, aka Megatron, is rusting in peace at the bottom of the Laurentian Abyss surrounded by SOSUS detection nets and a full-time submarine surveillance. We also know that the only remaining piece of your alien All-Spark is locked in an electromagnetic vault here on one of the most secure naval bases in the world". Will looked at Optimus questioningly and Optimus responded with a slight shake of his head, so Will kept the news of the second All-Spark shard to himself as Galloway continued on, "And since no-one seems to be able to tell us what it is the enemy are still looking for, well there's only one clear conclusion. You. The Autobots. They're here to hunt you, what is there on Earth for them to hunt for except you".

The sounds of rapid transformations filled the air and suddenly Galloway was facing several sets of extremely upset optics, as well as a set of glowing cannons, causing Epps and Jazz to share a private chuckle between themselves despite the seriousness of the situation. As Optimus began to speak, he was cut off by Ironhide's gruff tones, who powered down his cannons but his optics remained an angry blue, "No Optimus, enough is enough. We have listened to this humans complaints, and this is the last straw. If the Decepticons wanted us as this human thinks they do, they would just come straight to us as they always have when they want to cause trouble. They are clearly looking for something else that is unrelated to us, or it is indeed the All-Spark that they are looking for, or it may be related to the warning we were given in Shanghai". Optimus shared a concerned look with Ironhide, but once again before he was able to speak he was cut out, this time by Galloway, "The Fallen... shall rise again?. That doesn't really give us a lot to go on, but it does sound like something is coming. So let me ask if we ultimately conclude that our national security is best served by denying you further asylum on our planet, will you leave peacefully?". Optimus stared back at the human in front of him, his spark sinking as he saw the determination in Galloway's bespectacled eyes, his spark sinking as he replied in a solemn voice, "Freedom is your right, if you make that request we will honour it". Optimus held up a hand to silence the protests from around him, before he turned to face a smiling Galloway with a deadly serious expression, "But before your President decides however, please ask him this. What if we leave, and you are wrong". Optimus looked closely at Galloway for a second longer before turning and stalking out of the hanger. Galloway watched, his thoughts unreadable but his face was clearly worried as he too said his goodbyes and made his way out of the hanger, heading back to the waiting aircraft just as quickly as he had arrived. Will said his goodbyes to Morshower who did his best to reassure his Major that Galloway would not be able to carry out his threat before the satellite link went down. Will then turned to look at Ironhide who was watching Optimus, who in turn was standing at the hanger doors watching the departing helicopter, with worried optics, "That's a good question 'Hide, any answers?". Ironhide looked back at the human he regarded as family and shook his head slowly, "I have none I can give you Will, all I can hope is that it does not come to us having to leave and leaving you here on Earth unprotected". Will smiled as he patted Ironhide on the arm, "I'm sure we'll be fine, hey whats the worst that could happen". A grinning Sunstreaker nudged Sideswipe in the side before calling out in a cheerful voice, "I've thought of something". Ironhide and Will both turned and scowled at the grinning Corvette twins, before Ironhide asked gruffly, "Enlighten us then".

"If the worst comes to the worst who's gonna get the job of telling Mikaela that Bumblebee has to leave?". As he shared a high-five with his twin, and nodded appreciatively at the chuckles from Skids and Mudflap; Sunny, along with the others missed the look of horror that crossed both Ironhide and Will's faces as they both imagined just how bad that conversation would indeed be. Will looked at Ironhide, "Well if that's not enough of a reason to keep the All-Spark shard safe, I don't know what is". Ironhide nodded in agreement, "I'm with you there Will. I don't think either my youngling or Mikaela will react well to that news so I am glad the shard is safe where it is". As Will and Ironhide shared a smile, little did they know that their confidence would soon be shaken.

**oOoOo**

**A/N: First up so sorry for the wait, damn work hours and family issues have not made my muse easy to find but a week away has allowed me to catch up quite a bit. I am having so many issues with the start of this film that it is giving me real headaches especially as I've changed the timeline around so it makes a little more sense, and even then its still not easy. Sam is already at college in my version of events as I hate the whole arriving at college scene, it's just pointless as far as I'm concerned. I've also added more interactions with the rest of the 'bots when Galloway arrives as I seriously can't see them sitting there quietly while he disses them... Pfffffft! And sorry its just a short Bumblebee and Mikaela section in this chappie, it is quite fluffy though so that's good right?, but I really wanted to concentrate on the meeting with Galloway as its pretty important, also I couldn't make the scenes with Soundwave fit and I've kinda alluded to the scene with Wheelie in the movie, but I'm hoping to fit them both in properly in later chapters xx thanks once again for the patience and reviews as always are welcome xx**


	4. Chapter 4 - Stolen

Chapter 4 - Stolen.

The observation satellite that was drifting though space was one of the best that the military had ever put into orbit, and it was used to relay multiple streams of information to several points back on Earth, and it was this purpose that had brought it to the attention of the Decepticons, though some found it far more interesting than others. It was because of this that the second machine was slowly approaching it with an almost predatory air, its glistening exterior reflecting the cold nature of its being for it was no ordinary satellite. It was Soundwave, the Decepticons master spy and he had found that this was by far the easiest way to spy upon the insects upon the planet below him when he needed too, as it allowed him to collect the information that he needed without getting involved in any battles. Soundwave would fight if he needed to, but his speciality lay in his ability to listen and observe and then relay the information to those who needed it and were willing to fight.

As he neared the military satellite, Soundwave effortlessly deflected the security that the insects had installed to keep their secrets safe, his cold voice quietly declaring it "Pitiful", before unleashing several glowing tendrils that wound their way through the satellites innards, only connecting when they found areas that provided the knowledge they wanted. As Soundwave listened patiently, his optics glowed brightly as he heard the words "All-Spark" and more importantly, "Megatron" being spoken about between a series of what the Decepticon knew to be human voices. Quickly focusing on this lead, the Decepticon smiled to himself as the exact co-ordinates made themselves known to him as he worked through a host of complex series of maps, charts and locations. Realising that not only had he found the location of the All- Spark but of their fallen leader too, Soundwave quickly dispatched the information to the relevent beings that were waiting for it. As he continued to patiently wait for confirmation of his orders, Soundwave narrowed his optics and bared his metal teeth in a silent growl as he heard the words 'Autobots' being mentioned along with the All-Sparks location. He relayed this information too, and bared his teeth once again; this time in a feral smile as he heard the words "This is of no importance, they will be crushed along with the insects, but all in good time. Continue to monitor and then proceed as we have planned". Soundwave quickly replied, and continued to drift along with the satellite, giving the gleeful pounding of his spark only the slightest recognition as he did so.

**oOoOo**

Meanwhile back on the island that was under such scrutiny, the large transport plane powered down its powerful engines, and slowly the loading ramp began to lower to the ground. Inside the men on board began unclamping the all the supplies and vehicles inside for unloading, apart from the Camaro that was already quietly revving its engine as the bright desert sunlight began to appear. Once the ramp was on the runway, Bumblebee rolled slowly down the ramp of the large transporter, chirping softly to Mikaela as he did so. Mikaela chuckled as she exited the Camaro, patting Bee's roof as she did so, "Need to work out a few stiff spots big guy?". A quick rev of his engine was the only answer Mikaela needed, and she stepped back so Bee could transform into his bi-pedal self. As she watched the complex movements, Mikaela found herself smiling softly as the gleaming Camaro transformed into the Autobot she loved with all her heart. Seeing Mikaela looking up at him, Bumblebee chirped inquiringly as he held out his hand for her, in a gesture that was now totally instinctual to them both. Quickly jumping into his metal palm, and then up onto his shoulder once he had lifted her up high enough, Mikaela gently rested her head against the side of Bee's, "Just thinking about how much I love watching you do that, never fails to make me smile".

_"Why thank you beautiful... I never knew a change could make such a difference"_. Mikaela laughed out loud at Bee's last comment, which sounded like it had been lifted from some really bad cosmetics advert, before gently kissing the side of his face, "I wouldn't ever want you to change for me anymore than you already do. I love you just the way you are". Bumblebee gently stroked Mikaela's hair with his finger, before answering quietly and slowly in his own voice, "And I.. love you.. too Mikaela". As she nuzzled closer to his neck, Bumblebee felt the rush of contentment fill his entire spark chamber, and he found himself hoping that the reappearance of the new spark shard would not cause their happiness to come under threat.

**oOoOo**

"What do you mean, you might have to leave. No. In fact not only no, but hell no. You kept the damn planet safe from the freaking Decepticons, and this is all the thanks you get. If I ever see this jerk Galloway, I am going to flatten him. No one, and I repeat no-one, is taking Bumblebee away from me. It is not going to happen again". Mikaela turned away from where Optimus was standing in front of her, and burrowed herself into Bumblebees embrace, not wishing anyone but her Bee to see just how close to tears she was. As Bumblebee held her close and stroked a soothing hand over her hair, he gazed back at Optimus's holoform, the blue eyes of his own holoform glowing a dark angry blue, "I'm with Mikaela on this Optimus. They can't be allowed to make us leave, we've already lost one home is that not enough for them?". Optimus gazed back at Bumblebee, and he completely understood the way the young Autobot must be feeling, he had felt much the same when he'd been forced to leave Elita back on Cybertron. Running a hand through his short dark hair, Optimus looked back at Bumblebee and Mikaela, who had turned back to face him but was still wrapped in Bee's protective embrace, however Optimus could see her blue eyes still held a sheen of tears despite the defiance in them, "It has not been decided for certain yet, I am just warning you that this could be a very real outcome if Galloway gets what he wants, or if we are unable to figure out what it is the warning in Shanghai meant. I hope that it is not the case, but I wanted you to hear it from me first. Though if it does come to having to leave, we cannot make you leave with us Bumblebee if it is your choice to stay here with Mikaela, but I fear those with far stronger powers than me upon this planet could make you do so if they so wished". Optimus saw the despair in both sets of eyes before him, and not for the first time in his long life, the Autobot leader found himself wishing that he didn't always have to be the bearer of bad news. Sighing as he pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to stave off the ache that was building in his processors, Optimus rested a hand on Bumblebees shoulder, speaking in a heavy voice, "Believe me youngling, it would not be my choice to leave this planet. It has quickly become a home for us, and we all have family here we do not wish to leave".

Bee looked up at Optimus and quickly activated his comm-link, as it was a far easier and quicker way for the two Autobots to communicate, even whilst they were using their holoforms, thanks to Ratchets latest upgrades, _**'Optimus I cannot leave her if we have to leave. She is my Sparkmate, as even though she has no spark of her own, we've bonded just as strongly as you and Elita, or 'Hide and Chromia. I left my true home behind once before, I will not be forced to leave another". **_

_**"I truly hope that it does not come down to that Bumblebee but I wanted you to be prepared for what you may have to choose between. As I said we cannot force you to come with us back to wherever we may go, but I fear that you will not be allowed to stay here either, despite your bond with Mikaela and to a lesser extent with Sam. Although I can only hope and pray that it does not come down to that, I am concerned of the timing of the events in Shanghai, along with Sam finding this new shard. It may just be coincidence, but my spark tells me otherwise"**_. Bumblebee nodded and quickly relayed his own fears to Optimus, who nodded gravely as he listened to the scouts concerns, before he replied, _**"It may well be that the discovery has already be noticed by our enemies, but I trust both you and Mikaela to keep it safe until we know what to do with it. I do not wish to keep it here for if the worst was to happen, the enemy would then have both pieces, and I do not wish for that to happen. **_

_**"Keep them both safe Bumblebee, for I feel that this may only be the start of things to come. Though for once, I hope that I am wrong"**_. Bumblebee frowned as he saw the almost defeated look in his Primes eyes but the younger Autobot did not have the confidence to challenge Optimus as maybe Ironhide, Ratchet or Jazz would have done. Optimus then disabled the comm-link, and turned to look at Mikaela, his blue eyes sorrowful, "Mikaela please forgive me, but you needed to know. I did not want to hurt either you or my young friend here, as I am well aware of what you two mean to each other. Believe me, Ironhide and Chromia have already made that quite clear to me, as has my own dear Elita". Mikaela looked up at Optimus and she saw the pain behind the clear blue eyes, "I won't say its okay Optimus because it's not, but for what its worth thank you for having the courage to tell us". However as she continued to speak, it was only Bee that noticed the battle light in her eyes as she turned her head to look at him before she looked back at Optimus, "But believe me, I am not letting Bumblebee go without a fight. I didn't last time someone tried to take him from me and I'm not going to this time". As she squeezed his hand, Bumblebee felt his spark settle much quicker than it had done recently despite the new set of problems that they had been given to deal with, and as he squeezed her hand back, Bee felt his spark glow with pride as he looked at his beautiful, brave and almost fearless Mikaela and found himself hoping that there was no power on Earth that could separate them.

**oOoOo**

Later, as night slowly descended over the island, a small explosion out in the ocean went unnoticed as did the sleek shape of Ravage when the cat-like Decepticon crawled out of the water, his metal body low to the ground as he scanned the surrounding area with predatory eyes. Although the Decepticon sensed the Autobots upon the island, they were of no concern to him at the moment, and he raced across the beach, his heavy metal paws leaving no trace as his bright red eyes scanned the landscape in front of him. As he focused on the large metal fence which went around the perimeter of the base, the Decepticon growled low in his throat before bunching his powerful hindquarters and clearing it in one fluid movement, landing softly on the concrete on the other side to remain undetected. Scanning round with the co-ordinates that he had been given through Soundwave, Ravage sped up as he quickly located the appropriate area that contained the all important All-Spark, his tightly wound limbs releasing powerful bursts of energy that allowed him to clear the open space rapidly.

Upon reaching the target of what looked like a disused bunker, a quick scan round confirmed that Ravage himself would not be able to retrieve the all important treasure, however this had been anticipated and the cunning predator prepared to use another of his equally successful techniques. The Decepticon growled triumphantly as he loosened the cover on one of the air vents using one of his powerful paws, and proceeded to quickly and efficiently feed a stream of minute ball-bearings into the pipe, all of which possessed intelligence of their own, as well as that which they shared with their creator, which they used to their advantage as they found their way down through the maze of pipework to the chamber where the All-Spark sat in its protective atmosphere.

Once they were inside the chamber, the ball-bearings skittered around on the floor as they established where they were before swirling on the floor to materialise into a thin, almost invisible reed like figure that instantly headed towards the glowing shard of metal encased behind the secure material of the case surrounding it. The small but highly intelligent Decepticon chattered excitedly as it viewed its target. Pausing only for a second, it released a thin but deadly beam of laser light at the glass. As the glass began to fracture under the concentrated light, the small Decepticon completely ignored the alarms that were being activated around the entire base, focused only on the task he had been given, knowing that both he and Ravage above ground were more than capable of defending themselves against the humans and Autobots, but it was quite certain they would not be as lucky against those that had given them these orders.

**oOoOo**

As the first alarms rang out, Bumblebee awoke from his recharge instantly and he knew something was wrong, and badly wrong too. Mikaela stirred sleepily from where she had fallen asleep curled in his arms, however her sleepiness quickly left her as she heard the alarms and more worryingly felt the tension in Bee's arms, "Bee whats going on?". Bumblebee looked at her through worried eyes that glowed slightly in the darkness, "I'm not sure beautiful, but whatever it is, I'm more than certain that it means trouble". Mikaela heard the worry in Bee's voice and as she flicked on the lamp by the bed, she also noticed the way his holoform was flickering slightly, a sure sign he was worried. Resting a palm on his cheek, Mikaela looked at Bee, "Go see whats going on big guy, you know you want to". Bee looked at Mikaela, covering her hand with his own before leaning against it, a gesture Mikaela recognised as needing reassurance. Smiling softly, Mikaela continued to gaze at Bee, "I'll be fine Bee, if there's any trouble out there I'm sure the rest of the guys could do with an extra pair of wheels and cannons, so go please". Bumblebee squeezed Mikaela's hand, smiling as he heard the conviction in her voice, but he still couldn't help the concerned flickering of his spark at the thought of leaving her alone, especially as she still had possession of the shard of All-Spark that Sam had found. Seeing the uncertainty in Bee's eyes, Mikaela sighed, "Look if you're that worried, I don't mind having a babysitter while you go. I'll happily spend the night with anyone but Skids or Mudflap. It's way too much like being with Sam and Miles when we were at pre-school, only dumber". Despite the worry he felt, Bumblebee couldn't help the laugh that escaped at Mikaela's description, "Fair point beautiful. I'll comm-link Arcee, see if she can run over, as I have a really bad feeling about this".

"Then go Bee. I'll be here when you get back, just promise me you'll stay safe. I do not want to wake up to find you in the med-bay". Bee smiled at Mikaela, as he quickly kissed her cheek, his voice soft as he spoke, "I promise beautiful", before his holoform disappeared in a shower of sparks, far more rapidly than it did usually. Mikaela rubbed at her arms to rid herself of the static, as well as to warm herself as she had suddenly felt a chill run through her. Resisting the urge to chase after Bee, Mikaela quickly crossed the room to make sure the door was locked before silently cursing at her silliness. However, as she wrapped herself back in the duvet, Mikaela couldn't help the uneasiness that flooded through her body.

As the Camaro sped across the tarmac, his yellow paintwork reflecting the spotlights that were cutting through the night sky, Bumblebee quickly accessed the comm-link, _**"Whats happened?"**_.

_**"The All-Spark chamber may have been infiltrated, and if it has, we fear we are in danger of losing the All-Spark"**_. Bumblebee's spark flared in alarm as he heard Ironhide's clipped tones, and he slowed briefly as he thought of Mikaela alone with the second shard. Ironhide picked up on his worries, his gruff tones much calmer and more reassuring when he next spoke over the comm-link, _**"Bumblebee, listen to me. Mikaela will be fine, Arcee is now with her, and Jazz is watching the civilian complex along with Jolt, so she will be safe along with the other civilians on the base. We need you with us, as we think Ravage has something to do with it, along with whatever new toy the blessed creature has brought along with him to cause mischief. Ratchet has picked up readings and prints that are showing as his around the spark chamber"**_. Bumblebee felt a shudder run through his bodywork when he heard the mention of the Decepticon; on more than one occasion their paths had crossed due to the nature of their work, and Bumblebee knew without a doubt that if Ravage was involved, then so was Soundwave and that meant that they were definitely in serious trouble. Reluctantly speeding across the floodlit base towards the bunkers, and away from Mikaela, the Camaro could only pray to Primus that his girl was being kept safe.

Once he reached the complex, Bumblebee quickly transformed and ran across to where he could see Optimus along with Will and Epps, his spark sinking as he saw the serious expressions on their faces. Chirping rapidly at them, they turned to look at Bumblebee and Optimus rested a hand on the young Autobots shoulder, "Easy Bumblebee. At the moment, the shard is still in our possession. A team of soldiers has been sent down to see what it was that triggered the alarms, and hopefully we are wrong and it is just a malfunction in the alarm system". Bumblebee looked at Optimus, and he could see the uncertainty in his Prime's optics and it was this that caused Bumblebees spark to sink, as he thought to himself, 'If Optimus thinks we're in danger of losing it, then we're really in trouble'. However Bee's thoughts were disturbed by the sounds of rapid gunfire coming from below the ground, accompanied by confused shouting. Will shared a troubled look with the Autobots and with Epps, before he began to head towards the entrance, however he found himself being pushed to the ground along with Epps as a hail of bullets headed towards them, as well as an unrecognised shape that was swiftly speeding away from them. As they heard Bumblebees pained chirp, Epps called up to the yellow 'bot, "You okay big guy?". Bee nodded, wincing slightly as he felt the pain caused by the bullets, _"Just a scratch, had to keep you safe"_, before he quickly resumed his alt-mode and raced off into the darkness. Will looked up at Optimus, who was watching the departing Bumblebee with worried optics, "What the hell was that?". Optimus looked back at Will, "It was a Decepticon, but one I do not recognise, even though it was giving out an energy signal similar to Ravage. It did however have something that I more than certainly recognise". Will looked up at the Autobot in front of him, his brown eyes wide in the darkness, "Oh no no no, you have got to be kidding me. Please tell me they did not just steal the All-Spark from under our noses".

"I fear that they did Will, but hopefully we will be able to retrieve it before Ravage is able to leave with it". Will looked back at Optimus, "We'd better hope so or we are all in some seriously deep shit".

**oOoOo**

"Ironhide. Behind you". Ironhide spun round and aimed a stream of fire at the smaller of the two mechanical beings that were racing towards them as he heard Chromia's frustrated shout. However their maneuverability far outstripped Ironhide's cannons, and the Decepticons dodged the blasts with ease. To keep the spark from the hostile fire being aimed at them, Ravage quickly scooped the smaller Deception onto his back, where it blended into his dull paintwork. Ironhide growled angrily, as he continued to chase after them, speaking out to no one in particular, "Anyone else care to have a try here, or the fragging kitty cat is going to get away with one hell of a treat". Bumblebee heard the frustration in Ironhide's voice and fired up his smaller but more precise cannon, before sending a message over the comm-link, _**"Sunny, Sides. Try and run kitty towards me, and I'll do my best to take him out"**_.

_**"We're on it Bee, he's already heading your way"**_. Bumblebee watched and waited until he saw the lights reflected in the gleaming paintwork of the twins, and there in front of them was the sleek shape of Ravage. As the Decepticon neared him, Bumblebee aimed his cannon and fired but Ravage dodged the blast at the last-minute, using the force of the blast to propel himself over Bee, though not before his sharp metal talons gouged their way across Bee's frame, a triumphant growl issuing from his throat as he did so. Bumblebee tried to ignore the pain that flared through his spark, but the razor-sharp claws of the Decepticon had managed to hit some of his more delicate wiring systems, just as Ravage had planned them to. As Bee felt the arcs of electric, he was unable to stop himself from falling to the ground, watching as Ravage paused to look at him, "We know the girl has the other piece, lets hope she stays safe". Despite the pain he was in, Bumblebee's spark flared in outright panic as he heard Ravage's low, almost growled words, his red eyes glowing maliciously as he sensed the Autobots fear, before he dodged yet more gunfire from both the twins and a deeply pissed off Ironhide. Finally, with one last flick of his tail, Ravage threw himself off the side of the cliff, and somehow into the air. As Bumblebee watched the glow of the energy burst through the night sky propelling the Decepticon back to his master, he felt his optics grow heavy and he did his best to fight the pain, so he could get back to Mikaela and keep her safe, but the last thing Bumblebee would remember hearing over the panicked beating of his spark, was the sound of Ironhides voice telling him not to do this to him again.

**oOoOo**

**A/N: Cliffhanger already and its only Chapter 4!**

_***now hiding behind the sofa* **_

**Anyway, at least I updated pretty quickly :) But as you know I do like to spoil you guys every now and again with a cliffy, but before you all go crazy at me there is a reason behind why Bee has come off worst! Extra cookie to anyone who can work it out :) Anyway included Soundwave in here and once again I've faffed around and created pretty much my own scenes for this bit of the movie which I think work better... seriously I'm wasted in my job lol :) I've also padded out Ravage's scenes a bit as he was one of the Decepticons I kinda liked as a kid so here he's a mix of movie-verse and G1, and with him and Bee doing the spying and scouting, I think they'd probably have clashed at some point back on Cybertron. Hope you all enjoy and I promise not to take too long before I update again, especially with our big yellow hero down and out mwah hahahaha! Reviews are welcome as always xx. **

_***goes back behind the sofa*. **_


	5. Chapter 5 - Questions

Chapter 5 - Questions

_"Bumblebee's been hurt"._

As Mikaela raced through the almost silent corridors towards the med-bay, ignoring those few people that she did see, Arcee's words from only a few moments earlier echoed through her head, seemingly in time to her footsteps on the hard concrete floors. Arcee had done her best at trying to keep Mikaela calm, but the blue femme had lost that particular battle as soon as she'd confirmed Mikaela's fears that somehow, something was wrong and that her Bumblebee had been involved. The confirmation that Bumblebee had indeed been injured had been the last straw, as it had confirmed her worst fears, and nothing Arcee could have done would have stopped Mikaela leaving her room, and as she continued to race towards the med-bay where she knew Bumblebee had to be, or would be arriving at shortly, Mikaela's heart tripped painfully in her chest; much as it had done when she'd first realised that something was wrong, which had been long before Arcee had shared the bad news that Bumblebee had been hurt.

Upon hearing the smaller door to the med-bay open with a crash, Ratchet briefly turned his head and was unsurprised to see Mikaela standing in the doorway. However as he studied her, Ratchet realised that the young human had not noticed him watching her, and he quickly deduced that it was because every fibre in Mikaela's body had focused on the immobile Bumblebee who was laying in front of him. Sighing softly to himself, Ratchet turned his head back to Bumblebee and continued to work on the young Autobots delicate wiring with careful hands, before he began to speak in a low voice, "Bumblebee will be fine youngling, but you most certainly will not be if you do not calm down your heart rate". Mikaela's attention on Bumblebee was shaken by the sound of Ratchets calm tones, and she looked up at the tall green Autobot with a faint smile on her lips, despite the panicked fluttering of her heart, "How did you know it was me?". Ratchet paused once again, and this time he turned to look at Mikaela, his optics reflecting the smile on his metal features, "Because there is only one femme on this base brave enough to burst into my med-bay at this hour with no thought for her own safety". Mikaela chuckled softly, and Ratchet smiled in reply, "Plus Arcee sent me a rather panicked message over the comm-link after she told you what had happened. She was quite adamant that by the look on your face when she told you, you would have rivalled Ironhide on a bad day". Mikaela smiled shyly as she heard the teasing tone in Ratchets voice before she looked up at him with concerned blue eyes, "I'm sorry Ratchet but when Arcee told me Bee had been hurt, I had to come and find him. Please tell me you understand?". Ratchet sighed as he heard the worry in Mikaelas voice and he ceased his working to kneel down beside the young girl, "Of course I understand Mikaela. It's obvious you would want to be with your sparkmate at such a time, and I know for certain that if it was the other way round and you had been hurt, we would have to move heaven and earth to get Bumblebee to leave your side.

"But you need to trust me when I tell you that Bumblebee will be fine. As Arcee informed you earlier, some of his more delicate wiring systems got damaged by Ravage and he is only in stasis now as he is most definitely not a good patient. As well you know, he has had worse injuries, and I'm quite sure I will be able to repair his circuits fairly swiftly, as well as repairing his armour once again. So please calm yourself Mikaela, you know I would not lie to you on this".

Mikaela looked into Ratchets serious optics and found herself calming slightly, "I know you wouldn't Ratchet, I just had to be with him. Though seriously, I was as bad as Ironhide?. Where is he anyway, I thought I'd have to wrestle him for visiting rights". Ratchet smiled at Mikaela, "Arcee says worse, but in answer to your question, Ironhide was here just before you arrived. I've sent him back to his berth though as he is almost a bad a visitor as Bumblebee is a patient, he's seen his youngling hurt far to may times to always react calmly, even when he knows Bee will be fine". Mikaela smiled, but her smile faltered as she saw that Ratchets metal features still held more than a trace of concern, and as he'd already reassured her that Bumblebee would be fine, Mikaela knew that her earlier sense that something somewhere had gone wrong and badly so hadn't been in her imagination. Resting a hand on Ratchets arm, Mikaela gazed up at the medic with serious blue eyes, "Ratchet what happened earlier for Bee to get injured. I know its something relating to the All-Spark, and judging by the look on your faceplates, its pretty damn serious.

"And please don't spoil your record of not lying to me by trying to cover up whats happened, as I'll just ask sleeping beauty there when he wakes up if you don't tell me and I know he's not brave enough to lie to me, but if he tries I'll just keep asking til someone on this damn base gives me some answers". Ratchet heard the determination in Mikaela's voice and he smiled as he knew the girl would indeed work her entire way through the base to find answers. Sighing softly to himself, Ratchet held out his palm to allow Mikaela to climb into it, which in turn allowed the Autobot stand once again. As he reached his full height, Ratchet placed Mikaela on the berth beside Bumblebee, and he felt his spark tug sympathetically as he watched Mikaela stroke Bumblebees stationary faceplates with hands that despite their trembling, remained gentle. However the medics spark flared angrily when he saw the tears that sprung into Mikaela's blue eyes as she looked over the deep gouges on his chest that had been left by Ravages claws, and heard the pain in her voice as she quietly whispered "Oh Bumblebee, what have you done to yourself this time?".

Managing to keep his anger hidden, Ratchet gently rested a finger against Mikaela's back as he spoke softly, "Trust me youngling it looks far worse than it is. As I have already promised you, Bumblebee will soon be back on his feet. I somehow fear we will have no choice in the matter, much as I would like him to have time to recover properly". Mikaela frowned at the disgruntled tone in the Autobots voice as she settled herself by Bumblebees head, absently tracing her fingers in her familiar patterns on his still warm bodywork, before looking up at Ratchet who had recommenced his work on Bee's wiring, although Mikaela could see that the medic still had a distracted look in his optics, "Ratchet, please. What's happened?".

"The All-Spark shard has been stolen. That's why the damn Decepticon was here on the base". Mikaela stared back at Ratchet, her blue eyes widening in horror not only at the Autobots words but the resigned tone of his voice as well, "But how was it stolen?. I thought all the security round it made it fail safe against being stolen". Ratchet continued with his work, silently concentrating before he sighed deeply, his vents clicking as the air dragged through them, "So did we Mikaela. We put our faith in the in the defences as well as believing that the Decepticons would not be brave enough to attack the base where we are all in attendance.

"However it seems that our confidence was misplaced, both in ourselves and the defences around the shard. Logically as Ravage was involved, it suggests that Soundwave also has a part to play in all of this, which would explain how they finally located it and infiltrated our defences".

"But why do they want it now?. Surely they would have tried to steal it before now if they really wanted to find it, and is there no way you can get it back?". Ratchet was about to answer Mikaela's questions, when he noticed the way her face rapidly paled and as she nestled closer to Bumblebees silent form, Ratchet's spark sank once again as he saw the frightened look in her eyes as she asked in a quiet voice, "Do they know Sam found the other piece, and that I have it now?".

**oOoOo**

Meanwhile back in the main hangar area, Optimus was with Will and Epps trying in vain to answer the same questions. As he looked down at the two soldiers, Optimus sighed in frustration, "No we most certainly will not be able to get the shard back. The Decepticons allowed Ravage to do the job for that very reason". Epps shuddered, "Knew there was a damn good reason not to like cats". Will heard the genuine dislike in Epps' voice and allowed himself a brief smile before he looked back up at Optimus, his heart sinking as he was reminded of the seriousness of the situation when he saw the Autobot leaders sombre optics looking back at him, his voice low and heavy as he began to speak, "I am truly sorry Will but the shard is gone and as we have no idea where they have taken it we have no way of getting it back. As to why they want it, I am unsure but I fear in my spark that it is not going to be for any good reason". Will sighed and rubbed a hand over his tired eyes, ignoring the ache that was building behind them as he did so, "Okay so that wasn't the answer I wanted, but I know you're in the dark as much as we are on this one. I'm only sorry we couldn't keep it safe for you Chief". Optimus heard the apologetic tone in the young soldiers voice, "Will please do not blame yourself. It is not your fault, when the Decepticons are truly fixed upon a course of action, no amount of security would be enough to stop them". The tall Autobot drew in another deep breath, his vents whirring, before he began to speak once more, "I only wish I knew what else was on this course".

"You and me both Chief as it'd make explaining this whole mess to the suits a damn sight easier when they realise whats happened". Will's brown eyes suddenly narrowed as he looked up at Optimus, "Though if they could locate this shard, will they not be able to locate the shard that Sam found, the one that Mikaela now has with her". Optimus was about to answer when he was interrupted by Ironhide, who's voice sounded even more gruff than usual, as he entered the hangar; "Yes they know. That fragging 'Con made sure my youngling knew that for certain". Will looked up at Ironhide, and saw that once you got past the anger in the Autobots optics there was a very real fear there for Bumblebee. Will rested a hand on Ironhides leg, and looked up at him, his brown eyes sympathetic, "Any news on Bee yet?". Ironhide looked down at Will, his optics softening slightly as he realised that the young soldier understood his fears, "He is still in the med-bay. Ratchet believes he will be able to repair the damage to his wiring fairly quickly but Bumblebee is not the worlds greatest patient, same as I am not at my best when my youngling has been injured". Epps grinned up at the weapons specialist, "So you got banished by Doc Bot then?". Ironhide glared at the grinning soldier, before nodding reluctantly, "Yes Ratchet told me to leave, though I cannot just go and relax in my berth as he so kindly put it. I tried and Chromia sent me straight back out again so I am off to go and take my frustrations out on the firing range, much as she did earlier". Optimus rested a hand on Ironhides shoulder, and Will saw the taller of the two Autobots hide the smile that was on his metal lips as he spoke to Ironhide. "You know Ratchet will look after your youngling, so do not worry so old friend". Optimus then returned his gaze to the two human soldiers, "As Ironhide has pointed out, the Decepticons do indeed know of the second shards existence. However they cannot have known that she has it with her or they most certainly would have tried to steal that piece as well. Of that I am certain"

"Well shit, things just got a whole lot more complicated". The two Autobots and Will all turned to look at Epps, who shrugged unapologetically, "What? You gonna tell me they haven't. Anyway before we get to that, lets concentrate on whats important right now. Who wants to tell Mikaela that first up her boy got injured again and secondly, she's now got the number one item for every Decepticons 'What I want for Christmas' list ?".

Optimus and Ironhide fought back a smile at Epps' comments, as did Will, before Optimus spoke, "I believe Mikaela has already found out about Bumblebee's injuries and she has already made her way to the med-bay, so she is already with Ratchet and Bumblebee". Will smiled as he heard the grumble of "Bet she doesn't get kicked out" from Ironhide, but he could see from the look on 'Hides metal features that he was glad his youngling had someone who cared with him, before returning his attention back to Optimus who was still talking, "I am also quite certain that Ratchet will end up telling Mikaela all that has occurred tonight, mainly as I sense she will give him no choice in the matter". Despite the seriousness of the situation, Ironhide chuckled out loud and Optimus shared a smile with the two soldiers, as they all knew just how determined the young girl could be when it came down to her Bumblebee. However the respite was brief as Will heard a phone ringing from the metal gantry above them, and his worst fears were confirmed when Graham called down from above, "Sir we have an incoming phone call from the gods". Will looked at Optimus, "This could get nasty, but you have my word that I'll do my best to explain". Optimus nodded solemnly, and Ironhide just scowled, "Think its time I go destroy something that can't shoot back at me. You're all welcome to come join me if you need to". As Will watched the large black Autobot leave the hangar, he sighed "I wish I could 'Hide. Shooting something might just make me feel a whole lot better than I do right about now as I have a really bad feeling about this whole thing".

**oOoOo**

"Right so let me get this straight. The Decepticons are aware that we, I, whoever has the second piece of the All-Spark". Ratchet nodded slowly, "From what Ironhide told me, they do indeed know of its existence. It seems that Ravage took great satisfaction in taunting Bumblebee with the news after he had injured him". Mikaela muttered something under her breath about what she'd like to do to Ravage causing Ratchet to hide the smile that crossed his features behind his hand as he saw Mikaela looking back up at him, "Well if they know we have it, why on earth did they not try to steal it tonight?. Not that I'm complaining that they didn't". Ratchet sighed as he looked back into her worried eyes, his optics reflecting the same worries, "I am unsure Mikaela; however I would guess at although they know you have it, they don't actually realise that you have it with you. If they had, then they most definitely would have tried to take that also, and I know for certain that Bumblebee would have fared far worse had any harm come to you.

"However I am at a loss as to why Ravage did not realise it was here, he is more than capable of recognising the All-Spark's energy signal. All I can surmise is that he was so focused on his task that he did not think to search any further; sometimes a Decepticon's single-minded attitude can work in our favour. However I want both you and Bumblebee to be on your guard when you return home as do not think that they will have forgotten about it". Mikaela looked back at Ratchet, her eyes slightly less fearful than they had been earlier much to the medics relief, "So what does this mean for you guys?". Ratchet inhaled a deep breath, shrugging his giant shoulders as he did so, "I honestly do not know Mikaela. I am certainly convinced that your human leaders will somehow blame us for what has happened". Mikaela heard the defeated tone of the Autobots voice and she looked up at Ratchet with eyes that shone angrily, "How can they blame you guys?. It was the security system that they installed that failed, and you guys did your best when you realised what was happening to stop the shard from being stolen, as once again it was your asses in the firing line when the shit hit the fan". Ratchet watched as Mikaela rested protective hands as she spoke and he felt his spark lift slightly as he saw the defensive look in the young girls eyes, "Thank you for having faith in us Mikaela, however I fear that not everyone shares it. I take it that Optimus has told you of the new director, Galloway". Mikaela chuckled as she heard the displeasure in Ratchets voice, and saw the way his optics flashed, "Yeah he told us all about him. Judging by the look on your faceplates, he's not any better in person. From what Optimus told us, he sounds like a real jerk". Ratchet smiled at Mikaela's description, which wasn't that far from the views which had been shared by the rest of the Autobots, "It does seem that he has a few glitches within his systems, its true. However it also seems he has gained the trust of your human leaders and I fear that he will use whatever trouble the Decepticons will surely cause to strengthen his arguments against us, much as he did the incident in Shanghai, and we will be powerless to stop him". Mikaela saw the deep-rooted concern in Ratchets bright blue optics, and as she turned away to look at the still silent Bumblebee, she rested a hand over the plating covering Bumblebees spark, and as she felt its hum through the warm metal, Mikaela knew she would fight as hard as she could to keep Bumblebee and the rest of the Autobots here on earth, where they belonged. She lifted her gaze to meet Ratchet's optics, before she began to speak, "Trust me Ratchet, there is no way I am being separated from Bee again, whatever the stuffy government agent wants. I will think of a way to help you out; you've saved our asses enough, time to repay the favour".

**oOoOo **

**A/N: Soz for the delay but busy with work and family stuff! Also sorry for this chappie being a bit shorter than the others but couldn't get it break down from the next chappie any better. Anyway our big yellow hero is still down but he's not out, hes just having some repairs done lol xx Hope you like the little bonding session with Mikaela and Ratchet, as I love Ratchet and I don't get to fit him in as much as I'd like in the rest of the story xx Anyway Bee will be back on his feet in the next chappie, which I hope to get out as soon as possible :) Reviews welcomed as always xx **


	6. Chapter 6 - Worries

Chapter 6 - Worries.

_"Bumblebee". As he heard Mikaela's frightened scream, the Autobot struggled against the binding that was holding him as he fought to reach the girl who meant so much to him. As he watched the stealthy form of Ravage nearing Mikaela, Bumblebee's spark pounded furiously against his chest plating as he watched not only his sparkmate run for her life but Sam also. Struggling even harder, the young Autobot finally loosened the bonds that were holding him but the damage had already been done as he realised there was no way he would be able to reach the two young humans that made his life here on earth complete. Once again the cold night air echoed with Mikaela's screams, joined with Sam's cries for help, and Bumblebee fought against the heaviness in his limbs as he tried desperately to reach those he loved._

As he heard the soft, but unmistakably panicked chirps coming from the berth where Bumblebee lay, Ratchet knew he was going to have to try to awaken the young Autobot. Sighing to himself as he neared the twitching Bumblebee, Ratchet shook his head sadly as not for the first time he wished Bee could have a smoother reaction to the stasis procedure. Resting a gentle, but restraining hand on Bumblebees trembling frame; Ratchet called Bumblebee's name firmly, both vocally and over the comm-link, "Bumblebee, time to get back online. Whatever your processors are going through, it's not happening, you're safe". A few moments passed with no reaction and Ratchet sighed, preparing for the worst when Bumblebees optics snapped open. Ratchet recognised the unfocused look in them and kept the pressure on Bee's chest, before speaking in a steady tone of voice, "Easy youngling, you're safe". As Ratchet felt Bumblebee's spark pounding, the medic realised that it was more than likely that Bee's panic was not being induced by a fear for his own safety, therefore it was a much softer tone of voice that Ratchet used as he continued to speak, "Bumblebee listen to me. Mikaela is perfectly safe, so please try to calm down".

Bumblebee heard Ratchets calm voice through the cloud of panic that had engulfed his processors and as he heard the words "Mikaela is safe", Bee felt the furious pounding of his spark settle back down to its steady hum. Closing his optics once again, Bumblebee inhaled a deep breath, listening to the whirring of his vents; before he re-opened his optics, which quickly focused on Ratchets worried features. Slowly pushing himself up into a sitting position, wincing slightly as his wiring protested at the movement, the young Autobot looked up at the medic with a resigned expression, before he quietly spoke through his radio that crackled slightly, _"In and out of darkness... dreaming while you sleep"_. Ratchet rested a gentle hand on Bumblebee's shoulder, his voice still soft, "I had guessed as much youngling. You, out of everyone, always seem to have the most intense reactions to being in stasis, even more so than Optimus". Bumblebee shuddered as he recalled the vivid images that had played through his processors, his optics still troubled when he looked back up at Ratchet, _"I couldn't help them... Mikaela or Sam... I know it didn't happen but what if it did"._

Ratchet recognised the fear in Bumblebees quiet tones, and his spark tripped in his chest painfully as the medic recalled all the times he had heard the same conversation throughout the previous war on Cybertron. Meeting Bumblebee's worried optics, Ratchet began to speak once again as he sat on the berth opposite, his voice quiet, "Youngling, I am presuming from that comment that whatever was going through your processors was in relation to Mikaela and Sam being either captured or in danger of becoming so, am I correct so far". Bumblebee chirped softly, not trusting his voice as he could still hear Mikaela's frightened screams. Ratchet nodded slowly, before continuing, "As I thought. Bumblebee, Mikaela is far stronger than she would have everyone believe. Right now she should be resting but she is busy with Optimus, Lennox and Epps, trying to formulate a plan to keep us here on earth. Sam, although he does not have Mikaela's strength of character, is also capable of looking after himself, he just needs to believe in himself more than he does.

"I know you are the boys guardian, and to all intents and purposes Mikaela's sparkmate, but you are unable to protect them from everything, much as I know you want to. Believe me, you cannot save everyone, and I am in a position to know that far better than most".

_"But it hurts... when they hurt"._

"I know it does youngling, but have you not thought that maybe it hurts them when you get injured. Mikaela refused to move from your side until I had got you all fixed up, yet she still accepts that it is part of who you are and does not try to stop you, even though she knows of the dangers". Ratchet saw the thoughtful expression on the young Autobots face, and quickly continued, "Bumblebee, I know you would give the last flicker of your spark for Mikaela, and for Sam also, but until that day comes do not dwell upon it too much. All of us will do our utmost to keep our human family members safe, as well you know. Right now, there are more pressing things to worry about in the here and now". Still thinking over Ratchets earlier words, Bumblebee almost missed the change of tone in the medics voice when he mentioned the here and now. However he managed to pick up on it and looked up at Ratchet worriedly, "Want to fill me in while we go find the others?". Ratchet nodded, a smile more mischievous than many would have though him capable of crossing his face as Bumblebee eased himself off the med-bay berth, "Of course I will, and by others I take it you mean Mikaela?". Bumblebee turned and looked at the chuckling Ratchet, _"That obvious?"_. Ratchet patted the younger Autobot on the shoulder, "Just a little. Your devotion to each other would be plainly obvious to even a blind man". Bumblebee chirped embarrassedly and Ratchet chuckled sympathetically as they began walking towards the main hangar, "Neither you or Mikaela are the first to have fallen for each other, so do not worry so. I'm still trying to forget what Ironhide and Chromia were like in the beginning".

oOoOo

"Hey Mikaela, don't you think it's about time you got some rest. You're almost asleep there". Mikaela looked up into Jazz's concerned optics, "Probably, but when I try to sleep my mind goes into overdrive. That's why I ended up here with you guys after Ratchet ordered me out of the med-bay". Jazz smiled softly at the young human, knowing that part of her reluctance to sleep was that she hadn't yet seen Bumblebee back up on his feet, "You realise both Ratch and Bee are gonna be after our sparks when they realise you ain't slept yet?". Mikaela nodded with a tired smile, "I wouldn't have expected any less from either of them. Anyway you guys got any closer to a solution yet?".

Jazz shook his head, "Not really. Will has managed to get some of the suits on board but our friendly security advisor is having none of it. He's definitely got it in for us. So far our best hope is to get Sam to speak on our behalf, so that they can see that there is a bond of trust between us and you humans". Mikaela listened to Jazz and she couldn't help the worry she felt when Sam had been mentioned. Although she loved her best friend with all her heart, she also knew just how much he had been looking forward to his normal life at college. Looking back at Jazz, Mikaela realised that if Sam refused to speak up for the Autobots, she herself could do the job. "Jazz can I get a lift up please?". Jazz held out his hand and Mikaela quickly climbed on, wobbling a little as her tired body protested against the sudden movement. Jazz cupped his metal fingers around the young femme as he could sense the tiredness in her, "Better". Mikaela nodded gratefully as she rested against the wall made by Jazz's hand, and as they neared the platform where Will was talking to Optimus, Mikaela could see the tiredness in both his eyes and Optimus's optics, "Hey guys. Room for one more to join in the conversation?'. Will looked at Mikaela, and was about to speak when he was interrupted by Ironhide, who looked at Mikaela with optics that flashed with concern, "How come you're not asleep like Ratchet ordered girlie?".

"Probably for the exact same reason you're not resting in your berth where Ratchet told you you're supposed to be". Unaware of the hidden smiles Mikaela's retort had caused, Ironhide continued to gaze at his younglings sparkmate, "I do not need to recharge as often as you humans do, but yes I am still concerned about Bumblebee as I know you are too". Mikaela saw the concern in the large black Autobots optics and she felt her temper subside as quickly as it had flared, "I know you are 'Hide, but I'm also worried about you guys too. I don't want to see any of my family sent away". Turning to look at Will and Optimus, Mikaela cleared her voice to gain their attention, "Hey guys. Can I have a word?". Optimus looked down at Mikaela, and she couldn't help the shudder that ran through her body as she saw the almost defeated look in the blue optics that gazed back at her, "Of course Mikaela. We would welcome any suggestions you have".

Clearing her voice once again, Mikaela looked around at the collection of soldiers and Autobots who she considered extended family before she began to speak, "Okay so I understand the plan is to ship back home and then get in contact with Sam. Now that's a great plan but I've known Sam longer than you guys and I can't help my instinct that's thinking he's gonna be like a frightened rabbit at the thought of the world ending again. I really, really hope I'm wrong but if I'm not and Sam does get stubborn on us, I'll speak on your behalf. It's the least I can do to help out those I care about".

"We wouldn't have expected any less from you girlie". Mikaela looked at Ironhide and saw the look of pride in his optics, and she smiled back at the weapons specialist, before turning her gaze back to Optimus and Will, "So what do you guys think?". Will nodded in Ironhides direction, "I'm with 'Hide on this one, though I have to say I kind of hope we can get Sam to agree as I'm thinking Galloway might try to use your closeness to Bumblebee to discount your testimony. What say you Chief?".

Optimus gazed at Will, before meeting Mikaela's flashing blue eyes, holding a hand up to prevent the flood of words he could sense both Mikaela and Ironhide were waiting to release, "Easy both of you. I have to say I fear Will has a valid point. Galloway is deeply hostile towards any interactions between us and any humans. We saw that when he was here before". Mikaela heard the grunt of disapproval from Jazz and looked at him questioningly, causing the silver Autobot to whisper, "Fill you in later", before her attention was drawn back to Optimus, who was looking at her with serious optics, "However you are not alone in your fears about Sam Mikaela. He has the ability to help us more than he knows but I fear, as you rightly pointed out, he will run at the thought of it.

"So for that reason, we would be pleased to accept your offer of help if it is needed". Mikaela heard the tiredness in Optimus's voice and once again she couldn't help the shudder that it caused, "It's okay, you guys are like family, and even if me and Bee weren't together, I'd still wanna help". Optimus smiled back at Mikaela, "And you are like family to us too Mikaela so we as always will do our best to keep you, Sam and the Witwickys safe". Mikaela breathed a sigh of relief before she realised there was someone else who needed to be included, and she turned worried eyes towards Optimus and Will, "That's great but if we're warning them then I have to tell my Dad, especially if we're likely to be in danger when the 'Cons come looking".

**oOoOo**

As they neared the main hangar, Bumblebee chirped quietly at Ratchet. His processors had thought over what Ratchet had said to him earlier and he still felt as unsure as he had done earlier. Oh he was in no doubt of his feelings for Mikaela, his spark could already feel her presence and was humming contentedly, but he still couldn't shake the lingering worry he had about her safety. Ratchet stopped and looked back at him with concerned optics, "Something hurting?". Bumblebee sighed, before he met Ratchets concerned optics, _"Not as such... Ratchet, what if she gets hurt, and hurt badly"_.Ratchet rested a hand on Bumblebee's arm, and when he felt the younger Autobot trembling, Ratchet sighed, "As I said to you youngling, it is a risk any couple; be it Cybertronian, human or a mixture, has to face when there is a war. You may not think it but Ironhide, Chromia, Optimus and Elita all have the same concerns as you, and I am more than sure than Sarah and Monique feel the same about Will and Epps when they go into battle". Bumblebee chirped softly, his optics glittering with amusement, _"Been there for the arguments between 'Hide and Chromia remember?"_.Ratchet chuckled, "The whole of Cybertron could hear when those two got going, mainly because it ended up with them shooting at things". Looking at Bumblebee, Ratchet sighed softly, "My point is youngling, worrying about each other is part of being sparkmates. I know you will worry about Mikaela more as she is human so obviously she will be in more danger of injury, but she has been through one battle with us so she knows what to expect this time, and she would never willingly put herself in danger". Ratchet then met Bumblebees optics with his own, "And I promise you youngling if Mikaela's life is ever in danger, I do my best to save her. You have my word, but so far out of the two of you, I have had to spend far more time fixing you up". Bumblebee heard the teasing tone in the medics voice but the seriousness in his optics had also eased the Camaro's worries somewhat, and he looked up at Ratchet with a smile, _"Thanks Ratchet, means a lot that you'd do that for Mikaela". _Ratchet smiled back Bumblebee, pleased that the worried look had gone from his bright blue optics, "We would all protect her Bumblebee, as we know how important she is to you. However I am not getting in the way when she gives you the lecture she's been storing up about your latest injury". Bumblebee just grinned and chirped happily, his happiness complete as he entered the hangar and located the girl who was so very important to him.

Mikaela heard Bumblebee's chirp as he entered the hangar and she felt the worry that had been quietly gnawing at her since she had left the med-bay earlier lift as she met his glowing optics. As Bumblebee came to stand next to Jazz, he chirped softly at Mikaela who smiled up at him, before she turned to look at Jazz, "No offence buddy, but mind if I switch Autobots?". Jazz grinned at Mikaela and then looked at Bumblebee, "She's all yours Shorty". Bumblebee chirped softly in thanks as Mikaela slowly climbed onto Bumblebee's palm, sighing softly to herself as he held her close to his chestplates, a smile crossing her face as she felt his answering sigh of contentment, "Hey big guy, I thought I told you to stay safe". Bee chirped apologetically, _"I'm sorry beautiful... I broke my promise"_. Mikaela stroked her hand over the new metal which covered the gouges that had been there before, and fought back the tears that were now threatening, "It's okay Bee, I'll save that lecture for when I'm not as tired, but I'm glad you're back on your feet. Love you big guy". Bumblebee stroked her back as he'd heard the faint wobble in Mikaela's voice, _"I love you too beautiful... now try to get some rest while I talk to Optimus"_. Mikaela murmured an answer and placed a soft kiss on the new metal, causing a rush of feeling to run through Bumblebees entire body, as the new metal was much more sensitive than his usual armour. As he held Mikaela close to his chest, and ignored her sleepy laughter as she'd felt the shudder too, Bumblebee looked over at Optimus who nodded a greeting, "Good to see you back on your feet Bumblebee, and I am sorry that you were once again injured". Bumblebee gazed back at his leader, hiding the smile that crossed his metal features as he saw the scowl that crossed Ironhides features as he too looked over at Optimus, before answering slowly in his own voice, "I only wish I could have stopped Ravage". Optimus sighed, as he heard the guilt in the young Autobots voice, "Do not blame yourself Bumblebee, you did your best as did the rest of the team. We will try to solve the problems it has caused as best we can, however the only thing we can do at the moment is return home, where we will then need you to go and find Sam, so he can be made aware of the problem". Bumblebee chirped in reply though he glanced briefly at Ratchet, who looked over from where he was conversing with Ironhide and Jazz, "You will be fine youngling, your injuries will heal quickly enough and I do not forsee any problems, though you will need to be careful". Bee chirped and saluted Ratchet with his free hand, causing Ratchet to shake his head wearily as he turned back to his conversation. Optimus too had seen and heard the exchange and looked at Bumblebee, "It is not my choice to send you so soon after you were injured but it may be that we need Sam's help sooner than we think". Bumblebee looked back at Optimus with worried optics as he too picked up on their leaders tiredness, and he chirped softly, looking down at Mikaela who was almost asleep in the safety of his palm, _"If you need me to do this... then I will go... but Mikaela needs to be kept safe while I am gone as she will still have the second shard"_. Optimus nodded in agreement, "That has already been decided. As we are all returning, Ironhide will accompany Mikaela in Tranquility whilst you are gone though I believe she wishes you to return home with her before you leave to find Sam". As Bumblebee heard the amusement in Optimus's voice, along with the hastily swallowed laughter from Will and Epps, Bumblebee chirped questioningly causing Mikaela to lift her head to look up at Bee, her voice sleepy as she spoke, "Yeah I kinda need the real you to come with me when we tell my Dad about you guys, don't want him freaking out if any 'Cons come looking for the shard". As she snuggled back into his chest, Bumblebee felt a whole new panic envelope his spark as he looked over at a chuckling Ironhide with worried optics, which caused the weapons specialist to laugh all the more,"Hey what can I say youngling, you gotta meet the parents properly".

**oOoOo**

**A/N: Hey everyone, sorry for a very late update but been feeling really out of sorts for a number of reasons... Mainly due to work conflicting with family so am now in the process of changing jobs which hopefully will make me far happier! Anyway for that reason, this probably isn't my best ever chappie, it feels way too rushed, but its the best I could do. Hopefully now I'm a bit less stressed I'll get my writing groove back on. **

**Anyway Bumblebee is back on his feet but worrying himself silly... so let's have a bit more Ratchet time (mainly cos I'm having a bit of a Bee and Ratchet love fest at the moment after watching the finale of TFP:Beast Hunters... which was epic btw!). Anyway just when Bee thinks all is well, hes gotta meet the parent... properly! Bless! Anyway we'll be back onto the movie timeline soon so all's well... hope you all enjoy and reviews are welcome x**


End file.
